The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13
ORIGIN OFF SLANG PHRASES.
where Many Peculiar American say
ings Come From.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
The word chestnut" as applied to
something out of date and gone by, may
have originated from Ovid's line in 1.-THE
Art of Love-" in which, bidding the lover
to be sure and send his mistress trifing
presents, he says: Let your boy carry
her grapes, or what Amaryllis so delighted
in; but at the present day she is fond of
chestnuts no longer" 1t is likely, how
ever, that its use in slang sense is more
recent, says the Boston Herald In "The
Broken Sword" a two-act melodrama by
William Dimond, produced at Covent Gar
den theater London, in 1926, the following
passage occurs:
Zavior-Let me see-ay! it is exactly six
years since that, peace being restored to
Spain, and my ship being paid off, my kind
brother offered me a snug hammock, etc.
Pablo dumping up)-A chestnut, captain
a chestnut
Zavior-Bah, you BOBBY!
Pablo-And swear, chestnut captain!
This is the twenty-seventh time 1 have
heard you relate this story, and you inva-
riably said a chestnut till now.
Zavior-Did 1? Well chestnut be 1t.
"Corkler" is derived from a Greek word
signifying Incompatible one, but few of
those who use it as a slang phrase realize
that they are borrowing a Hellenic term
of eXtravagant praise.
"Blatharskite" is not an Americanism
except by adoption, says a writer in the
Milwaukee Sentinel, for in Scotland for
hundreds of wears "Blather'' has meant to
talk nonsense, and "skite" has been used
as a corruption of Skate term of con
tempt. A 'blatherskite," "b.etherskite,"
or blithersl1ite" was one who talks buster
ing nonsense.
joss" is corruption of the Portuguese
word Dios meaning God, and "josshouse"
is a Chinese temple. In like manner Joint
is corrupted from the Portuguese and
Spanish junta, a collection Of persons
hence, place where persons collect; and
an opium Joint" is therefore a place
where opium smokers assemble.
The wind blew through his whiskers'
had its origin in st. Joseph, Mo-, where,
some years ago, a patient escaped from
the lunatie asylum and made his way to
the lofty roof of the Tootle opera house.
He was armed with a club and threat
ened to brain anybody who dared come
up through the only scuttle In the roof
He held the fort nearly the whole of one
day. and was taken down only after a
terrific struggle with three men, wit
messed by thousands of excited people In
the streets and on neighboring buildings.
After he was landed in police station he
quleted down a bit and explained that
ne assembled the roof to let the wind blow
through his whiskers, which were very
long and thick. The local papers wrote
the AFFAIR up elabOrately, and accounts
Of II were telegraphed all over the coun-
try, all giving prominence to the lunatic's
explanation. The expression was quick
~ caught up, some vaudeville singer made
II the refrain of a song and soon Il was In
eveTybody's mouth.
The old saying everything is lovely and
- /. f..f.g Il
phrase that originated In Delaware
When the spring comes the migratory
birds fly northward. II the weather Is
rainy or cloudy their flight is near the
earth. whereas n the sky is clear they
soar at a great hight, uttering their char
acteristic cries. The phrase originally
was: Everything Is lovely and the goose
honks high"
"Hoodlum" meaning n bad boy, comes
TO US from San Francisco, and there are
several explanations Of It's origin. One IL
that a newspaper man. IN writing up che
deviltry OF a gang OF young toughs. who
we're under the lead Of one Muldoon, called
them the "noodlums" that is reversed
the name Of the leader The compostor
read ~ for IN" and set up the word
hoodlums" Another explanation H. thar
a gang had as cry the words "Huddle
emf which became hoodlum. Stnl an
other Is that one Of the gangs adopted a
sort OF fez as its distinctive headgenr
which the members called a hood. The
FIRST seems most probable.
"Hlghblnder' q generally supposed 10
be Of California origin. but this Is an or
rOr. Tho high" according 10 the Cen
fury dictionary. has the same force as In
high links" "hifalutln" and "high Old
time" Bender" or binder" Is one who
goes on a bender" The word "highbind-
err" was used In New York forty years
ago TO denote a member OF a gang. II
found lts way 20 the Pacific coast. where |
IL has come 90 be applied 70 members Of !
a Chinese secret society
To take the cake Is a phrase Of great |