The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-21
TAKEN FROM SHAKESPEARE.


Many Of Our Current A,nericauisms Have
an Illustri0us Origin.
Henry Cabot Lodge, In Harper's,
shows. by examples from Shakespeare
himself. that many Of the so-called
Americanisms are survivals OF q usage
curren at the period when Immigration
began from Old to New England. The
word "guess." for example. was. In
Shakespeare time. used In England In
the coMoQuial sense that now attaches
to II In America. and examples are mul-
tiplied In Mr. Lodges article. Mr..
Lodge says. In part:
Leaving legitimate words, and turn.
ing to the children OF the street and
the market-place. we find some curious
examples. not only Of American slang.
but Of slang which In regarded as ex-
tremely fresh and modern. Mr.. Bran
der Matthews. In his most interesting
article on that subject, has already
pointed out that u deck Of cards. is
chakespertan. In Henry vi. (Third
Part. Act ". Scene I.) Gloucester says,
"But while ne thought to steal the sin.
gle ten.
The king was slyly fingered from the
deck"
Mr.. Matthews has also cited O still
more remarkable example OF recent
slang from the Sonnets. Of all places In
the world. where fire OUT Is used In
the exact colloquial sense OF to-day. 1t
occurs In the Hath Sonnet.
yet this shall ne'er know. but live In
doubt
TIL my bad angel fire my good one
out"
Square" in the sense of fair or non
est, and the verb ITO be square," In the
sense to be fair or honest, are thought
modern. and are now 50 constantly used
that they have well nigh passed beyond
the boundaries OF slang. II they do 80,
It Is but return to their old place. for
Shakespeare has this use OF the word,
and In serious passages. In Timon of
Athens (Act ", Scene W the First
Senator says.
''All have not offended:
For those that were. 1t Is not square to
take
On those that are. revenges."
In Antony and Cleopatra (Act H.,
Scene 1I) Mecaenas says, she's a most
triumphant lady. II report be square to
her."
In the SOUP" to express defeat and
disaster. Is apparently very recent,
and yet 1t Is singularly like the language
Of Pompey in Measure for Measure
(Act ILL.,, Scene III, when he says,
"Troth. sbr, she hath eaten up all her
beef. and she IL herself In the tub"
Even more recent than "in the SOUP
is the use Of the word stuffed" to de-
note cOntemptuously what may be most
nearly described as large and ineffec-
tive pretentiousness. But In Much Ado
about Nothing (Act l., Scene - the
Messenger says. "A lord to a lord, q
man to a man; stuffed with all honor
able virtues" To which Beatrice re-
plies, 1T is so. indeed; he Is no less
than a stuffed man: but for the stuffing
We'll. we s.e all mortal" Here Bea-
| uses the phrase stuffed man" in con-
contempt, catching up the word Of the
messenger. "Flapjack." perhaps, Is
hardly to be called slang, but 1t Is GER
tainly an American phrase for a grid
dle-cake. We must have brought Il
with US. however. from Shakespeare s
England. for there 1t Is In Pericles (Act
H., Scene ~. where the Grecian-very
Grectan-fsherman says. "Come, thou
shalt go home, and We'll have flesh for
holidays, fish for fasting days. and
moreo'er puddings and flapjacks; and
thou shalt be welcome"