The Savannah morning news., 1900-10-15
American Visitors Hard Wrestie
with odd Words aud Phrases.

From The BOSTON Transcript.
7. isn't alone the accent. nor vet the
lrGecuon. which makes the English OF the
English puzzling 20 American ears. II Is
ta very definite and infexlhie way Of say
ia- things They speak by a code. When
!. rains &c T. "a duh day. isn't h?' When
taa thermometer mounts into the eighties
Is close" The weather is thick when
Ga. mist creeps over the landscape. or
..re" 30 long as Il does not actually rain.
T1 a London landlady. one scorching July
lll ] observed that the morning was
alt Could you have seen the stare OF
u.N-hred amazcment wiki which she re-
pH0I irreproachably. 1T Is close" you
so not wonder that | registered WOW
90 trs my own methods no more.
Euf the expressions are not only I'M
ame-icanly uuiform-they are pretty uni
forrly un-Amcrican. Ordinarily. that Is
Oh the trouble there Is about g. The phrase
s Ineligible enough. but strange. For
Instance. Wien you are told that tho yell
une mob II public-school boys who pack
-ht trains on the first Of August are going
fma for the "hnuiidays" you get mo
mra'ary shock We have the holidays 80
closely associated with frost and Christ
maaing that it is hard to realize that the
p1rl may be properly applied 20 the dog
dass Again when the landlsdy at an inn,
r answer 20 your request Tor rooms,
pumps out her ready-made phrase. Were
%. up,' there s. no chance for misuuder-
Seeding so with fire assurance" mes
nsa boy" Keeper ring" tguard ringD
'.aoret bed" folding bed) etc. oil very
logical no doubt. but likely. nevertheless,
wher first you meet them, 20 give your
brain turn.
Now and then. however. YOU encounter
on oppression by no means simple Of com
Wcrcnsion when on the dizzy top OF my
'- London bus an Observation-Disclosures
Eng shwoman turned 10 me and said stlff-
D. Thank you"' / did not understand
her Twice she repeated with stern en-
pdls.s. Thank your and half rose from
f.r seat Then I saw that she wanted 70
pass me The remark was a request the
tr.t time a command tho second. But
how. pray. was an American TO know that
Even the simple words up and "down"
proved too much Tor me when ! found
them marking the platforms OF a suburban
% ou Being bound for the north 1 So
iar'ai the side placarded Up trains
fr,-ently "a porter came 10 me and de-
% nded abruptly. Where for?" York"
sd a shade of melancholy crossed his
il'e You'ii ave TO cross the line By the
hrfe Miss. this Is the hup side" pro-
'.1 I was going due north. and would
O means take "a down train. well
hc going from London. beant YOU.
Mes retorted the porter. ~ n that set
''l o. And indeed. Il did North south.
'i-i ~ west. It's up" 20 London and
down 10 everything else IN the island.
'r another occasion l came near being
H'en.l 20 death by pursuing hanson.
A.
n'Nor yelled "Hi, hiv' To me hi" meant
i"'I 1u there. want 20 speak 70 you"
'uhlcic aud steam Roundabout.
Of these mystifyinE phrases noted
N mf 3afy and unravelcd them one BY
IaHy were steam roundabout" "a
'' i'r frlveling." annual sermon" ecu
aul chocolate sandwich" Tho
''Na ate. Il was layer cake. Tho
Investigated and found II 10 be a
t-aom. Tho annual sermon found
'f did not mean only one sermon
iNe fan bought. and u proved 60
0 Lastly. ] refused 70 have any
'o 90 with a steam roundabout when
rund
,L m Tho whole I had little serious
in undcrria n1ing what was said 20
needed only a iii,ie ingenuity ami
w. Questions 10 get AZ the meanings.
7 -ane 10 making the English un-
s.hd me. however. q was a very dif
matter found them anything but
n interpreting unfamiliar phrases
oaIv after repeated failures TO per-
.Nf nue conductor 10 'let me out
neihc crossing that learned 10 say
fA Down" which worked like q
r asked booking clerk for stop
-.. H.'i'res ard he stared IN amaze
n, > might break the Journey n !
l' what dld mean by stopover''7
uip' only served 90 elevate