The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-21
SLANG, AS SHE is SPOKE"
LIGHT AND AIRY ADDITIONS TO
rus LANGUAGE From THE PAVE.


s,,un Is becoming More and More a
HeeoGntred Part of the vOcabu-
tary of Every CIass-Protests Are
UnavaiIinE TO stem the Flood
ride OF Its PoPuIRrity-From the
streets 20 the Clubs-The Passing
NJ slang Expression. when Their
Noveity Has Become Worn-Somc
Examples OF How Current slang e.
rsed by Its Ddvotees.
Even TO the eye OF the uninitiated It Is
.agarsnt that slang IS assuming a place
~ con tanuy increasing importance in the
e.d az quasi-llterature covered by the
.saspapers and the weeklies OF the coun-
,-y For a reason known to itself the
r-eat American public has agreed that
there IS something wildly humorous even
IN a p.atitude or a truism. when It is con-
viewed in the airy phrase OF tho current
slang OF the day.
TO say that a man Is mentally unbal-
anced exciies nothing but a weak pity.
hut when he II described as having rats
IN hts garrett or wheels in his head or a
screw loose. or as having slipped a cog.
the situation Is conveyed with an accu-
racy OF which the language undecided Is
not capable-and the people understand.
Books have been written and essays
Eaad upon the subject OF slang. Grave
masters of English have denounced its
rerniclous influence upon the purity OF tho
mother tongue and have pointed with low
ing reverence 10 the graceful. II some
what sillted periods OF two centuries ago.
az the models upon which the present gen
Grafton should form its ideals OF express
sion They have declared that the Eng
n,h speaking nations are dehaslng their
literature and descending 20 the vulgar
speech Of the mob.
And 70. perhaps. Il may be. Certain 10
ls thar there Is no disposition on the part
OF the public 10 reject any addition to
the language. no matter how doubtful It's
origin may be. A catchy phrase. n bright
conmnction OF ideas. an expression Of I'M
exr-~cted relatively Is grasped and well
comed II may find its FIRST expression IN
the street corner conversations q a
bunch 81 street Arabs. but. stripped per
hapS OF some Of fits aroma du pave Il
becomes eventually part Of the current
conversational small change OF the smok-
ing room Of the club.
Slang expressions come ana 20. II has
not been many years since any reference
whatever 10 the subject Of whiskers would
he greeted with roar OF laughing APP
probation. To the judicial mind. even
though Il be Rlor.ned by a sense II humor
q Is not readily apparent why there
should be anything funny about the word.
but every one can remember the laugh
that followed tho announcement. by the
Irish comedian OF a few years since. that
cot can take n Joke as well as any mon.
but when felly comes along and woipes
his feet on me whlskcrs irs no joke %
The comedian might say this to-day with
out inducing anything less elevated than
tho gallery gods 10 crack a smile
To-day there Is another premier among
slang expressions. II IS hot air"
"Fren." said one Of the clty's cheap
sports the other day. az he cast an inli-
eating and admirinC glance % a youn- wo-
man who was selling ribbons az one OF
the local shops isn't that about the
warmest ever? l think l Il kinder wan