The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-10
THE MORTALITY OF SLANG.
Words and Phrases That Run wild
and Are Short Lived.

The Italian method of pretiXing an S
to word to give it damaging sig
nifcance can be employed with good
effect in christening that hayward and
degenerate offspring CT English known
as slang. In its present state slanguage
has attained to such luxurious COM
pleteness that il warrants serious treat
ment. So copious and comprehensive
has it become that there is hardly a
human want, feeling or emotion of the
heart that cannot be translated into
the vernacular of the bootblack. In
studying the philosophy of slang the
first natural query is: How and why
| did it originate? To the first question
| one might give, with certain modifica
tions, the same answer that would be
given 10 the question, Why do people
swear? The human animal, like a
locomotive, seems to require escape
| valves for occasions when there is too
| much steam in tie boiler. When a man
is overlooking with admiration. anger
or wonder the ordinary adiectives do
not (or he thinks they do not) meet
the emergency. They do not relieve his
pent-up fullness any more than a sip
from a dewdrop would quench a mans
| thirst. The natural man and the nat
ural woman sometimes find relief under
strong emotion in explosive utterances.
In the case of anger the escape valve
eXpletive is an oath unless the man in
question happens to be gentleman and
| sometimes, though very rarely, when
he is.
1t will thus be seen that slang, be-
| ing of emotional ancestry, is a first
cousin to the oath, and both are used
| by those who mentally resemble the
| man whose use of intoxicating drinks
has made him forget or underestimate
| the attractions of pure water. Slang,
In sooth, is whisky distillation of lam
euage. 1t is so strong that it may be
| taken only very rarely with impunity,
and herein lies the chief danger in its
use. Not only does the slanguist find
| ordinary English tame, but he ends in
not being able to find any English at all.
Another fatal characteristic of slang
| IS the very one which at first secures
| its doption-namely its pungency.
The same law that makes quiet colors
| and shades wear well in the world of
| fashion has its counterpart in the world
of speech. We tire very speedily of a
startling costume, in high colors, and
| just as speedily do we tire of slang,
which IS startling, highcolored speech.
Still another reason why slang can
never gain permanent foothold in the
language is its utter lack of dignity.
| No subject can be seriously treated in
slanguage. Its sole function is to tickle
| by its patness or its grotesqueness. 1t
reflects fugitive iridescence upon cur
rent wit and humor, as the bubble
catches prismatic colors, but, like the
bubble, It vanishes even while you be-
hold it. Naturally, there are slang
| phrases for all degrees of goodness and
badness, ranging from the word which
is only Sight remove from forcible
| but perfectly decorous adjective to
slang of the most daring, deep-dyed or
| der. At one end of the scale, for in
stance, one might place fetching" and
at the other end its superlative rum"
Again. the injunction play ball'' is gen
tie and seem!y, in comparison with the
| brusque command, get move on"
| Along certain lines the slanguist seems
to revel in eXtravagant synonyms and
antonyms. especially in those express
| ing some intirmity in the upper story.
The man who has "wheels" is also pop
u,arly known as 'nutty," "cracked' or
"off his trolley" AgaiE, if he comes
from the country, he is ''corn-raised,"
has 'seed in his hair or his face
doesn't fit him. Call" nerve"
"cheek," sand" brass" and face" are
also synonyms for qualities whose uni
versatility has made them target for
popular satire. Equally prolific is the
slanguist in coming terms for money.
"Dust," tin" sand" rocks" "chinll"
and "spondulicks" are only few of the
words that translate filthy iucre."
Two of the slang phrases now in gall
ingly frequent use are That's right"
and That won't cut czech ice" The
| latter it must be confessed, has GER
tain cool figurative qualities which
give it a saving c0ior of grace. But
most of these phrases rely chiefly upon
their condensed eNpressiveness, which
is the trademark of their American
manufacture. They are but one of the
many devices Of the masses to compass
crosscut and avoid circumlocutions.
Thus "suap" and ''cinch" are time econ
omy for Il moneyed sinecure and an as
sured competence.
One of the surest tests of the rapid
mortality Of slang is the extremely
painful sensation produced by hearing
Anticipated slang phrases used-and
there are always people who are two or
three years behind in their use of such
phrases. When other people are say
ing: Not on your tintype," the user
of mildewed slang feebly calculates:
81 should smile Tie piquancy and
patness of certain phrases make it hard
to declare that slang has no legitimate
use. But concerning misuse, there can
hardly be two opinions among people
whose opinions are worth anything.
A careful study of the qualities of men