The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-07-05
ODD BOWERY SLANG.
Tough but Graphic Dialect of the Eaa
Side of Gotham.

Tough but Graphic Dialect of the East
Side of Gotham.
Slang, like hot air, rises. 1t starts
in the speech of the least educated
to become incorporated into the
daily talk of the best informed. 1t
is true that the best informed use
slang apoloeetically and with men
tai quotation marks, but neverthe- |
less they use it Slang is the out
come of bright minds not well stored
with work. Hence it is graphic.
East of the Bowery they do not
say "beggar. They say, "a man
with his hand out !" When Stephen
Brodie wished to say that certain
popular novelist was not of very
heavy mentsl caliber, he said that
IF that gent fell on wet sponge
he wouldn't I squeeze it dry"
In the lower walks of life man
does not get angry; he "gets red
headed" He does not expose mon
ey; he flashes a wad," from which
he "skims" the "long green. II he
happens to be we'll to do, he has a
/ WHQ, 80 AA6e yOA
couldn't knock a dent in it with an
ak" No man every struck another
east of the BOwery; he just care
lessly threw 'em into him, the
:, lem" being two hard fists.
A man in reduced circumstances
is, in slang parlance, ION the
swine" If his circumstances are a
little more reduced, he is ION the
swine train" And when he "is on
the caboOse Of the swine train" his
condition is most deplorable. No
man ever died east of the Bowery
he "did a croak." And. if he hap
pened to die q violent death, be
shot, "he did gun orcak. "
In this locality men are not stab
bed; they are just "cut. " Lob
ster," most favorite expression OF
(: contempt, originated on the race
= I track, where 1t was used to desig
nate q slow horse. And as there il
NO quality of mankind which the
e native New Yorker holds in more
reverence than rapidity, both phys
e ical and mental. it naturally follow
cd that q man mentally inactive be
came q lobster
L When q person is in hard luck, n
q 10 "up against it," and if the lucl
q grows worse he Is 'up against it To-
4 fair" If a person goes to anothet
person's house and so behaves tina
discredit is brought upon the house
le he puts the whole drive on tn
is hog, which is a variation of "ol
d the swine" and easily traceable t
] tramp slang.
, II one person rushes at anothe
L. like "a bull at gate, the othe
sy person attempts to beat In the roc
e. of his head, " which might well dil
r. courage the oncomer.
- East of the Bowery drinks, rats
" and fists are always thrown in.
ne If the citizen of this district shoul
all unwisely throw in" too much IRE
D. LIQUOR" the next morning his zeal
of would be foot out, meaning thu
his head would be long. In this di
n trict the youths and maidens do M
al. court; they simply win" each otl
M or. Defeat is impossible. it would a,
N pear.
I'd No one east of the Bowery q
= tempts to do anything. He or 81
i" makes a stagger at It, Beer
lp- known a. hops. cigarettes
ac- pipes. II girl has a pretty a
ifv ure, she is dead swell built, " al
To- every man is guy" If he is
telligent, he is "a wise guy" II
at isn't, he is lobster guy" II he
go tall, he is q "high guy" and If
me is strong he is husky guy"
et Finally comes the all pervadii
expression get next, the gre
; shibboleth of the east side Its
no. habitants "get next" topretty mu
everything they can.-New 70
rse Mail and Express.
VIII O.. D--.%% ~ AlavonHorlS DIR