Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1905-1906, 1906-01-17

Judged by the standard OF the
Queens English, "mad.' scholar"
and "fix', are words often misused
in Indiana. Very often we hear
person utter such an expression as
81 was mad at him." If the speak
er means to say that he was so en-
ragged as to be well-nigh insane,
"madn is the word to use; but if the
feeling was of milder sort, he
should say, ~ was angry at him. ="
1t should be observed, however, that
mad in the sense of angry occurs
in the Bible and elsewhere. "Schol-
ar" is by many people used inter-
changeably with student or pupil, but
strictly speaking, while all scholars
are students and some are pupils, the
vast majority of students and pupils
are not scholars. Scholar is more
properly used to designate a person
of high intellectual attachments.
1.-The teacher sent all the scholars
home' is incorrect. ITO tiX,
which means to faSten or make per-
manent, is often misused in the sense
of TO mend or repair, as in the SEN
tence, II have just fixed the fence -
i. e., Il have just repaired the
fence" "Smart,' in the sense OF
intellectual, e. O.; "He's real smart
boy" "clever," in the sense OF
goodnatured or kindly, G. e., 81 He S
been mighty clever to me" and
"mean,n in the sense Of bad OF wick
ed, e. G., "He's awfully mean to
her," are also colloquialisms fire.
quently heard in Indiana.
Persons who have lived in the rural
districts Of the State will recognize
the following very common express
sions: "All-git-out," as in cts a
rainin' to beat all-git-out;" "pas-
SELL" as in "They're jist a passel of
FOOLS" "hump your stump as IN
"Hump your stumps old woman, and
cit me up a snack;' "galluses," for
suspenders; "fixins," as in "pie, an
cakey an chicken, an SIGH fXin 81
(said to be common in Pennsylva-
MAJ "mitten," to give the "sack''
or the "hooks;" "sculdugery," i. e.,
trickery; "piece of Calico" i. e., a
woman; "fnicky," /. e., finical ;
"slather," as in "He just slathers
away and says anything;" "shenani-
GAM to cheat; "thing-a-majig," as
in "What kind of a thing-a-majig
have you got there?
Socdolager," an expression fire.
luently heard in some localities, Is
said to be connected in its derivation
with doxology. The doxology comes
near the end of a "meeting,' and
when a man or boy gives another a
"socdolager," (the similarity in
sound must be apparently, the end OF
the fight is at hand.
A student of Indiana folk-speech
meets with many striking and forci-
BILE expressions. Giles rich, he has
heaps of money! is used by persons
in some rural districts to convey the
idea of wealth. Others substitute
"sights'' or "gobs' for 'heaps.' u
Yet others use a ranker word still
"He's rich, he jist has guams OF
money! as though the gold were
smeared over the person of the for
tunate possessor.
"Between you and me and the
gatepost," is a formula used in i'm
pressing the necessity of secrecy
"When he gifts a dollar it's got
home,' is an admirable description
of stingy man. "I'l sure gel
there or bust biler,' is a forcible
expression, to say the leaast. AL
old woman from the hills of Brown
county once expressively described
to one of the writer's the feelings ex
perienced after night spent IL
dancing by saying: "When l 'uz go
in home in the mornin' both sides
of the road 'u'd belong to me-
An examination of some Of the
folk-words and phrases that have
been current in Indiana will revea
many things of historical interest
Think, for example, Of the testimony
Oh former economic conditions con
tanned in the expression "sharI
Bit In the early days there was
but little or no small change in tht
country, nor was it convenient fol
traders coming from New Orlean:
and elsewhere to bring with them an.
! otner tnan the larger coins. In or
der to make smaller change, the set
tiers cut these coins into pieces, anC
these pieces were known as ''sharI
bits.'' The demand for words ane
! - Il,