Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-03-20
POPULAR PHRASES.
ORIGIN OF SOME OF THE CATCH
WORDS THAT EVERYBODY USES.

OHJGIN OF SOME Of THe CATCH
WORDS THAT EVERYBODY USES.
We Have Taken Some From the Eselish
81 lsvesssd Very Many 0urssivss-How
We Cane 10 Adept Some Of the Phr.ses
which Are In General Zee.
Mention has been recently made of
the disputed origin of the word "tee-
total" claimed by two inventors, Une
living in England and the other in
America, and each Of whom may have
hit upon the word independently and
for the different reasons assigned. To
curious minded persons who like to
know tho why's, wheps and wherefores
Of everything the origin Of popular
catchwords and figures Of speech is an
interesting subject.
The word machine, 4" as we use il po-
litically. is another which. like "tee-
total, is Of doubtful parentage. In the
days Of the old volunteer fire companies.
which in large cities were potent factors
In local politics. the phrase Ito run
with the machine" came into common
use, and it meant that man SO spoken
OF was identified with the political CO.
terie Of the fire company with which he
trained. The famous Boss Tweed began
his career in New York running with
| the machine" as q volunteer fireman.
Yet the term as we now employ it was
used in England long before. The Duke
| Of Wellington, in q letter to q friend in
1916 deploring the increasing influence
| Of popular agitation ON the action Of the
houses Of parliament, said: "Such is the
operation Of the machine as now estab-
lished that no individual, be his char
acter, conduct in antecedent circum-
stances and his abilities what they may,
can have any personal influence in gen.
eral." We may have derived our term
1.-THE machine from our old volunteer
fire company days, but in the England
| Of Wellington's time there were no fire
| companies exerting any political influ-
ence.
That much overwork ed word crank"
gained universal vogue in connection
with Guiteau's assassination of Presi-
dent Garfield. but it was long before
that applied by the late Don Piatt, who
claimed to be its inventor, to Horace
Greeley, the purpose Of it being to liken
the famous editor to the crank Of hand
organ. which is forever grinding out the
Same old tunes. The word, as we have
now como to apply it. means much more
and worse. 1t implies a condition Of
mind verging upon insanity. and this
has given rise to the erroneous notion
that it has its origin in the German
word "krank.'
The word "dago." now commonly
applied to Italians all over the country,
came originally from Louisiana, where
it Mt first referred only to people Of
Spanish origin. but was later applied to
Italians and Portuguese as we'll. The
word is corruption of diego"
(James), which is common Spanish
name, San Diego being the patron saint
Of the Spaniards.
Another word Of incessant employ
ment in American speech is "dute,"
with its feminine complement, "du-
dine" This may have come to MS from
the old English word for clothes
"duds." in earlier times spelled
dudes
tiers: Her dresses were wonderful, her
bonnets marvellous. Few women could
boast such dudes" Shakespeare. in
1.-THE Merry Wives of Windsor" writes
Of "bucke Of dudes" meaning a bas-
ketful of clothes ready for washing. Its
present day literary currency dates from
February, 1876. when the word appear
cd in Putnam's Magazine. But famous
New York clubman, Mr.. Hermann
Oelrichs. claims the credit of first start
ing it as popular term Of contempt or
ridicule for an overdressed person. He
claims that n youth Of this type who
passed by the Union club window with
q mincing step provoked himself and
another clubman to hum together an &C
compartment to the youth walk, thus,
"Du, da, de, du du, du de-" and that
he remarked Good enough: dude is
the proper name for it," and that thus
the word was born.
The words Lingo" and "jingoism'
are also Of disputed derivation. We all
know about the English music hall song
which set the word going with a new
meaning in 1877. but the original coin
age Of the term by jingo" is quite
doubtful. In the Basque language the
word jingo means God. and it is widely
believed that by jingo" was a form
Of oath with which the Basque sailors
familiarized the English sailors and.
through them, all English speaking peo
pie. But others believe the word is q
corruption Of st. Gingoulph. Il is one
Of the oddities Of popular wordmaking
that the term "jingoism, as now used.
is . complete travesty Of the sentiment
Of the song from which it was taken. A
jingo. either in England or America. i.
now set down rs q man spelling for 8
fight. eager for war at any cost. But the
: original music hall song, with the jiBgt
chorus. expressed exactly the opposite
sentiments desire for peace. 1t began
with I've don't want to fight" and it,
| Garroe& vrar motto yvas sfrf,ck in the dor