The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-11

that is taken through the country and
trotted under a false name, pedigree or
record, is a ringer" and unfortunately
the number of these is legion. A Slayer
Is horse with great powers of endurance.
and ''welcher" is a man who sneaks out
Of his bets Under the American system
OF betting there are few OF this class on
our courses though in England they are as
plenty as blacl6berries in July.
Circus men use slang very freely. their
lives being so much in public that but for
1t they would have difficulty in communi-
eating with each other without making
their affairs known to the crowd of the
curious who hang about their heels in SER
vile attention. Being nomadic in their
habits it is not strange that most of their
cant terms are derived from the gypsies.
With the knights of the arena food is
peck" and drink Is lush" The man
ager of circus is denomnated It's main
guy but the patrons of the concern are
not so honored, being known as guys"
simply, or as "gillies."
TO weed means to talk, and mo" Is
'niXey" The narrator once attended
circus with a gentleman who had heard
much of circus slang without ever having
heard 1t used, though he was anxious to
nave the experience. walking over to
where number of canvas-men were talk
ing, we listened awhile, and then began
an explanation of the conversation One
of the takers, remarl5ing this, observed to
his companions ''NlXey weeden. seraw
The guy stays" Our friend was much
mystitied when told what the slang meant:
Don't talk so plain; that man under
stands you" The experience of a coun-
tryman who fell in with a couple of circus
'takirs," or performers. who were bad
men, was not pleasant one. In de-
scribing it he said; IAN three OF US was
walkin' together, when one of EN- says:
Let's elem his nibs,' the tother one said
'Swipes, GULL and then both Of them hit
me to Onct." Circus boys are pretty bad
ly used while serving their apprentice
ship, and the discipline they receive is
known as "cleming." There is one bit of
circus slang that it would be we'll for all
to learn, and that is "Hey, Rube." lit is
the rallying cry of war for every employe
of the show, and when It is shouted 1t
means biz" from the word go"
Negro minstrels and variety performers
are prohcients in slang; in fact, they are
responsible for over two-thirds of that
used on the streets. With them a poor
performer is "snide," probably from the
German Schneider, a tailor whom we all
know is but the ninth part of a man-al-
though we have in Philadelphia many not
able exceptions to that rule. They also
speak about the poor artist - there are
no actors In these professions AS being
very piano." and his ''acts, If no better
than he, as tart" or dizzy" Bad song
ambulance men are HAMS and a large
number of the feminnes of the variety
stage are denominatd "seri-chronics. !"
Among Legitimate" actors on the regular
boards slang is freely used. ''ro fake
through part" is to play It without
proper study or care while to wing it, is
to commit the lines to memory while
standing at the sides of the stage away
from the eyes of the audience. A poor ac-
tor is a Stick" and there are just about
ten thousand in the United States The
performance of such a one is "quisby,"
and If the truth were told about three
foUrths of the entertainments presented to
the attention of the public, the word would
be printed about five times a week in
every first-class newspaper in the land.
When salaries are paid, 1.-The ghost walks"
and though but few actors are spiritual
ISIS, the appariuon is always warmly well
coined. In managerial parlance snow
ing or "papering a house" means issuing
a great number of free passes, and those
who are admitted on the comps" are
"deadheads"-by the way, the most cap
tious critics that ever looked upon a per-
Torrance with the green eyes of cynics.
When person uses slang for some time
IT is almost a matter of impossibillty to
break off the habit. An amusing instance
showing the force Of this custom, even I'M
der the influence of the most serious cir
cumstances, is given in the anecdote of a
minstrel performer who, in company with
a number of his fellows, was in attendance
at the bedside of one of his sick chums
Noticing that the eyes of the dying man
were beginning to glaze, he exclaimed, in
tones of apprehension: stag his ogles,
culls; his nibs is going to sherry mean
ing: Look at his eyes, boys, he is about
to die" The slang of the street is in al
Sc
we heard the lips Of beauty approve some
expression that pleased her with You
bet" How many a budding damsel has
emphasized d statement with That's the
kind of a hairpin / amp Her brother or
lover knows plenty of fellows who are
IN G." and thinks nothing of telling his
friends to pull down their vests" wipe |
off their chlns." or,to button their Ill |
sters," when they attempt to impose upon |
his credulity.
Gamblers speak knowingly of brace" |
games that are not fair and of "cappers." |
whose business is to haunt the Hobbies of |
theaters and the offices of hotels in quest
OF suckers" to rope in" against the
game" When a man is in misfortune
they say he is playing both ends against
the middle" or both ways TO the pud-
ding" and when he dies they remark that
he has passed his chips" Newsboys and
bootblacks are experts In slang and are
up 70 SHuhs but lew udyS ago WINE
passing the postoffice corner. one Of the
was heard detailing TO his gang
how "Dink" Norton had lost a quarter
pennies against "Lanky"
Hughes, who used cent that had head
on both sides. "Why. fellers.' said he.
Drinks the ranlSest sucker whot yer ever
seed. He wouldn't drop n house was to
fall onto him" Yet "Dink" is known as
a "solid man"
A book, and good-sized book. too.
might be written upon modern slang. 1t
Is not polite, however, to use IT,, and moth
Ing so gives a man away" as habitual
Indulgence In g. SO, II you have acquired
The habit take "a tumble" and come
off,"