The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-19

crowd of the curious who hang about
their heels in servile attention. Being
nomadic in their habits it is not strange
that most of their cant terms are de-
rived from the gypsies. With the
knights of the arena, food is peck, "
and drink is lush" The manager of a
circus is denOminated its main guy,
! but the patrons of the concern are not
so honored, being known as guys
simply, or as 'gillies."
ITO weed" means to talk, and mo- is
'niXey." The narrator once attended a
circus with a gentleman who had heard
much of circus slang without ever hav-
ing heard it used, though he was anX-
ious to have the experience. Walking
over to where a number of canvasmen
were talking he listened awhile, and
then began an explanation of the con-
Versation. One of the takers remarking
this, observed to his companion, 'Nixey
weeden, seraw.. The guy stays" Our
friend was much mystified when told
that the slang meant: Don't talk so
plain; that man understands you" The
experience of a cOuntryman who fell in
with couple of circus "fakirs," or per-
formers, who were bad men," was not
a pleasant one. In describing it he said:
All three of us was walkin' together,
when one of 'em says. Let's clean his
nibs. The t'other one said: 'SWipes,
Gull, and then both of them hit me to
onct Circus boys are pretty badly used
while serving their apprenticeship and
the discipline they receive is known as
'cleming." There is one bit of circus
slang that 1t would be well for all to
learn, and that is Hey, Rube." 1t is
the rallying cry of war for every en-
ployee of the show, and when it is
shouted it means ''biz" from the word
go"
Negro minstrels and variety per-
formers are proficients in slang; in fact
they are responsible for two-thirds of
that used on the streets. With them q
poor performer is a, "Snide," probably
from the German Schneider, a tailor
whom we all know is but the ninth part
of a man.
They also speak Of a poor ARTIST
there are no actors in these "profes-
sions"-as being very piano." and his
acts, if no better than he, as tart or
dizzy" Bad song and dance men are
"hams," and a large number of the
feminines of the variety stage are de-
nominated "seriO-chronics." Among
Legitimate" actors on the regular
boards slang is freely used. "To fake
through a 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 side of the stage
away from the eyes of the audience. A
poor actor is a stick" and there are
just about 10000 of them in the United
States The performance of such a
one is 'quisby." In managerial par
lance, showing" or "papering a
house." means issuing a great number
Of free passes, and those who are adj
mitted on the comps" are dead
heads"
When person uses a slang for some
time it is almost an impossibility to
break off the habit. An amusing Incl
dent showing the force of this custom.
even under the influence of the most
serious circumstances, is given in the
anecdote of a minstrel performer, who,
in company with a number of his fell
lows, was in attendance at the bedside
of one of his sick chums. Noticing that
the eyes of the dying man were begin
ming to glaze, he exclaimed, in tones of
apprehension: Stag his ogles, culls;
his nibs is going to sherry" meaning,
Look at his eyes, boys; he is about
to die"
Gamblers speak knowingly of brace"
games that are not fair, and OF cap
pers' whose business it is to haunt the
Hobbies Of theatres 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 pudding" and when
he dies they remark, He has passed in
his chips" Newsboys and bootblacks
are experts in slang and are up to
snuff" But few days ago while pass
ing the post office corner, one of the
fraternity was heard detailing to his
gang how "Dink" Norton had lost a
quarter matching pennies against
"Lanky' Hughes who used a cent that
had a head on both sides. "Why. fell
lows" said he Drinks the rankest
sucker what yer ever seed. He wouldn't
drop if a house fell on him" Yet
"Dink, is known as "solid man."