The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-01-25
LANGUAGE or THE PEOPLE.
How They Used to Talk in Otsego County,
ana Probably Stili 10.

=
county. y. Y. where | was born and
"rajscd." ! learned to use some odd
words and phrases that haven't
/ heard elsewhere, and through the col
umus of the sun would like TO add a
mite to the American Dialect society's
collection. One family Of my acquaint-
uncc used the queer word "catouse"
very often. To make great 'ca-
touse" was the same as making a
"fuss." 'rumpus,' or "hullabaloo."
a boy who stole his mothers pre-
serves" and got caught at it looked
'meechiug.' as did also "a cat that
was 'kctched' in the act Of tapping
cream from milk pan. Some women
called every sticky substance "gaumy,"
while others 'renched" (rinsed) their
washed garments. \ thing that was
badly or carelessly mixed was all
"muxed up Many farmer called his
wife his "womern." and a married
woman called her husband her "man"
TO "begretch" meant TO "begrudge,"
and they said hadn't ought tewn for
"ought not to-" To git red" Of a nui-
sance meant TO get rid" Of it. A
"smitch' meant a very small quantity.
One woman always used 'muckle" in
the sense Of tackle" and one very old
man invariably said sen" when he
meant since" Birds that nested in
"chimneys" were "chimly swallers, -"
and turtle" was 'turkle" every
time
In social affairs ! recall the follow.
ing: = beardless rustic who kept stid-
dy company with a gal 'spruced
up" and "sot up with her in her par
ents' "other room" from early candle
light on Sunday evening until nearly
daylight the next morning. A fresh
young "feiler," who looked "slicker"
than his associates, was awful fun
ny" and had "swallered the griddle
greaser," they said. An impudent or
forward person was "rambunctious," 8"
and proud family was stuck up"
At social gatherings, and at "dona-
ton parties for the dominic" the
young people played button, button
who is got the button?" "Simon SAYS,
/ Wigwag," and roll the trencher. &"
When an "urchin" got his feet wet, his
mother said they were as wet as sop"
and when his feet were cold, they were
as cold as a frog"
The school MON" kept" school;
she never taught. The pupils" were
scholars" and they did "sums" in
arithmetic instead of examples" The
"school NOM knew how to make pens
out Of goose quilts, and she "set copies"
in the writing books" She "let out"
the boys and girls separately in the
middle of the forenoon and afternoon,
and she kept school every other Sat
urday. On the last day" OF the dee
strict school the "sassy" little "brats"
recited the following all the way
home:
Good-by, scholars; good-by. school,
GOod-by teacher; learned old fool.
Naughty boys "hooked" apples and
other fruit, the cows hooked" one an
other, and the bull "bellered." The
farmer said hist TO the cow when he
sat down TO milk her. and if she didn't
stand still he exclaimed $50, bos!"
till she behaved. All horned cat
tie were called from the pas
ture by singing out: Come. bos, A"
or "co, bos. to them "Kuhday, kuh-
day, or "kuhnan, kuhnan," brought
| the sheep to the bars on the double
| quick. Horses were called by whist
ling. In driving contrary hogs "ste-
/ boy was shouted out the same as "sic
EN- "Whay, there was yelled at cat
tie that were being driven, and "shoo!"
was used to make sheep go straight
/ ahead. An ugly ram never "butted, 4"
he Just "bunted." The rural people
/ killed or tried to kill every snake they
saw, and the following was often
/ quoted:
/ II YOU break the first brake and kin the first
snake,
/ Youll conquer all the enemies you ever undeC-
take.
A person who was restless at night
and couldn't sleep we'll had the
"hips' Poison for rats was
"hopup." Medicine that helped a
man done" him powerful
sight o good" "suspenders" were al
ways "galluses.' At "protracted meet
ing meetings." one old pious farmer
called the human race his "feller crit
ters." Hold your tongue, "Stop your
clucll," and Hold your jaw" were
familiar parental commands. The chill
dren in neighboring farmers house
hold were wont to keep one another
away from pork platter by singing out:
Dads forbid suppin' in the dish"
Boys said: Let 'er swazzle," ," for 'let
il GO" and lad who had been fooled"
or "euchered" had got "sneked in"
We never played marbles" but we did
play ball--"barn ball, three old cat, "
and -four old cat" 81 spy" was one of
the village games, and the boys had to
count out" to see who should be lit" "
One way of counting out began. "Intry,
mintry, kunetry corn" another,
"Onery, twoery, icS-icllery, am" an
other, Monkey, wunlSey, barl o.
beer and still another. cone zaw,
two zaw, ziclI, zaw, zan." A lad who
rode sled" down hill on his stomach
rode "bellygut" never heard the
word "orney' used in Otsego or in any
OF the midland counties of the Empire
state.
In the summer the farmers "swig-
ged,' switched" and "metheglin"
when the cider barrel got empty. A
scrawny animal was called an old
"crang," and lean horse an
/ old plug A small load of
/ hay, tstraw, wood or grain was a
jag" An Independent person was
awful crank" Potatoes" were "ta-
/ ters," ginseng" was 'jingshang, "
/ "hollyhock" was "hollyhauk," spike
nard" was "spignet," and mock" was
always "mank.' A boil" was bile, ,"