The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-23
"vENsE DuDs" AND "FEN DuBs.,
A Learned Discussion of the Terms
in Marble Games.

From the New York Sun.
Recalling the days when he played mar
bles and knocked them out of the ring In
doubles, an editorial writer In the Nash
VILE Banner, recently made use of the
headline "Vense Dubs" and has thereby
started a widespread controversy. He
was at once called to task by stern
guardian of the English tongue. Col. ii.
NJ. Doak, In these peremptory words
ITO a considerable extent our newspa-
pers are charged with the present and
to some extent, the future spelling Of the
language.
an important headline, 'Nense Dubs.' Is
fatally wrong
Il do not feel called upon to defend my
position
Though clearly abashed by the author
lily of Col. Doak, the Banner still trusted
to its youthful recollectiops and explain
Ell It's position apologetically. but firmly
as being conscious of the truth:
I'VE think Mr. Doak is mistaken In say
ing 'Nense dubs' is fatally wrong The
spelling is not of an elegant English
phrase, but phonetic and approximately
correct rendering of familiar expression
used by boys in marble playing When
we played marbles in the years agone such
ordinations as venture dubs' or 'dubs'
venture rounduns' and venture kicks
were notable features in the dialogue of
the game. When a player knocked two
marbles out of the ring or when he kill
ed his man and his marble carromed and
struck the taW of another opponent, he
was prevented from availng himself Of
the double advantage by the cry venture
dubs,' unless he hrsa called 'dubsr As IL
was necessary to be quick of uttcrancc
to get an advantage the players natural
~ contracted these calls without any re-
gard Tor rules photographed or gram,
matical, and instead of saving venture
double or venture doublet' they would
say 'Vench dubs or 'vense dubs.'
This brought down upon bs head an cru
ate discharge of elephantine humor from
DR. l.. c. White, who showed that the
correct phrase should he went your
doubs and quoted Chaucer, Shakespeare,
The lngoldsby Legends. Halliwell and
Balley.s dictionary in support of his belief
The Banner thereupon began to doubt its
memories and threw up the sponge:
with such an array of authorities to
sustain him we shall forego any rash at
tempt - controvert his position. Our YER
sion OF the phrase was not acquired by
special research in leXigraphic and philol-
ogic fields. but was a simple recollection
OF the boyish understanding OF it,"
The controversy has. however, since
spread beyond Nashville and beyond Ten
nessee, The general interest In matters of
common speech is noticeable. as we'll as
the tmidity people feel I'm unfolding their
own observation in such things against
apparently contradictory statements I'm
the dictionaries. The Nashville Banners
recollections are probably correct, for the
American Dialect Society, which has CIV
en- much attention 90 the phraseology of
the game of marbles, has found that pro
hibition is expressed in the adjacent
states of Kentucky and Missouri by
vent or vents" In the very first num-
Der of Dialect Notes. published In 1892,
Prof. j. p. Fruit says that in the Ken
lucky dialect 'Dubs' means doubles or
two marbles; Thirds, thribbles.' three mar
bles; vent or vents means Il prevent
as in vents your everys.
In all likelihood, therefore. the term
vents" or ''vense' was good boy usage
In Tennessee as well, and perhaps in
other states south of the Ohio river. to
which the game of marbles penetrates
North of the Ohio, however the general
boys words seems TO have been fen"
Prof. j. NJ Hart repoN ed 1t from Con-
cinnau: Fen heist,' don't hoist your
hand while shooting" and suggested
isn't this fend from defend. like the
French use of defendre to forbid, to pro-
hibt?" In that sense the word was found
in New York and Jersey City, in che Dis
trict of Columbia and in public schools In
England There is no doubt as to the
derivation of either word, so far as we
know, nor has it settled the question
whether the Mort hern fen" and the
Southern "vent' have a common origin.