The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1896-02-27
ORIGIN OF SLANG.
How Some Popular words and Phrasei
Cams into Hnfn0

How Some Popular words ana Phrases
Came Into Being.
This may be called In ono sense the age Of
slang. But after all what 10 called slang Is
frequently the giving Of now meaning to
old words or the invention OF new words
from old roots. The slangof to-day becomes
the elegant language OF tomorrow. 1t Is
Interesting TO note how many OF tho com
monest words and phrases which were once
regarded as slangy and inelegant became a
part OF the polite language of the times
Words, like lives, have biography, says u
writer in the Pittsburgh Dispatch.
"Dun" 10 word now whose meaning is
known 10 every ono who understands the
English language. Too many wish they aid
not know II. Yet at the beginning Of this
century II was unknown as verb. About
that time q constable In England named
John Dun became celebrated as frst-class
collector Of bad accounts. When others
would fail 10 collect bad debt Dun would DO
sure 70 get II out OF the debtor. so we'll
known did this become that people from tho
surrounding country sent him n Dir accounts
when they could not collect them. 1t soon
passed into q current phrase that when a
person owed money and did not pay when
asked he would have TO be "Dunned. p
Hence 1t soon became common In such cases
to say: "You will have TO Dun so.and.so IL
you wish TO collect your money"
Until the nomination OF Franklin Pierce
for the Presidency the word outsider was
unknown. The committee on credentials
came In 10 make Its report and could not
get into the hall because OF the crowd OF
people who were not members OF the con.
vention. The chairman OF tho convention
asked II the committee was ready TO report
and the chairman Of the committee an.
swered: Eyes, Mr.. Chairman but the
committee is unable TO get inside on &C
count Of the crowd and pressure OF thes
outslders." The newspaper reporters, ever
ready TO appreciate good word or phrase,
took up the word and used II. Since then
II has been common word aud we could
not do without It, Boom" in its new
sense OF meaning popular clamor for a
man, or for any question or movement is a
recent word-being first used as such In
$50. Grant was being run fora third term.
THIS brought out a bitter opposition. One
paper said the movement was like a boom
across swollen stream, taking In all that
was worth having This gave new mean
Ing 10 the word. Since then II has been in
common use as such.
"You are q daisy Is considered very
slangy by those who use IL Unfortunately;
ohu, oitcntiulcs, ~ IL. but III used In tho
sense In which Its inventor, IL may SO
speak Of word, Charles Dickens, intended
it, 1t is good and forcible word In "Dayid
Copperfeld" 1t Ii first used In the sense Of
calling person daisy In a way to express
admiration, and, at the same time, TO laugh
at ones credulity. Steerforth says to young
CopperHeldi David, my daisy, you are so
innocent Of tho world. Let me call you my
daisy, as II Is so refreshing TO find one in
these corrupt days so innocent and unso-
phisticated. My dear Copperfeld, the daisies
OF the field are not fresher than you.n
Hence, when conveying the idea that per-
son is artless and innocent amid a skeptical
and scheming condition OF society, TO say:
"You are daisy" is not slang. 1t is forci.
BILE and elegant. The same passage gave us
the other word, meaning tho same thing,
though sounding little harsher, "fresh.ii