The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-16

Only Way" the actors took up the
use OF "twenty-thrSe'' to Indicate that
the story was done. that the play was
over, that It was the end Of things.
The stagehands took IL up. and after
Iawhile II was common property. Like
many other bits Of slang. it was ii,
general use in the West for d year be- g
fore Manhattan adopted II. Those.
who desired further Information should
read the last chapter OF '.The Tale Of
Two Cities"
Bogus and Runcombe.n
i Eldridge Gerry. of Massach1setts. re.
districted the state to his own adyan.
tage in 1911, and when someone look.
led at the new district and remarked
that 1t looked for all the world like
salamander someone else replied:
Better say Gerrymander.n And 30
the name was born, and has been kent
to represent all such political resdis.
trlcting. Borghese. a very corrupt
gentleman of the West in early DAYS
OF history, had such a fashion of fran.
Ing fictitious checks, notes and bills
Of exchange. playing on the crsduiity
OF traders. that anything In the line
of forged paper became to the West.
ener "borghese," or bogus, and SO the
name has remained. David Bowie, of
early pioneer fame, invented a broad.
bladed, sharp.pointed knife which has
since borne his name.
Buncombe county, N. c., has lent its
name to the country's vocabulary, and
is synonym Of hypocritical enthusi.
asm. not because that is d character.
istic of the people OF that section, but
because many years ago member of
Congress from Buncombe county per.
sisted In making speech when gen.
eral exodus OF the members showed
they didn't want to hear It. When 1t
was intimated that he might MS well
stop he replied: Never mind. Pm
talking to Buncombe." The word in
its new sense was first applied to the
speeches that were made in Congress
for the express purpose OF being sent
home to the admiring constituents,
and later received its present appli.
cation.
Graft and o. x.
The word that is most typically
American in its coinage and use is
possibly graft" Like many other pop.
nlar things. this name came out of
the woSt an5 haoo,~..> - .s.s I.. \
porated into the language and Gus.
toms of the people. It's origin Is not
definitely known, for though 1t first
appeared in print in the writings of
the late Josiah Flynt" Willard when
he went "Tramplng with Tramps," he
never claimed the word as his own,
and authorities show that 1t was
known in the West before he ever
used it.
Another purely American term is
20. K" 1t was derived from the word
Aux Cages, from which place the best
tobacco and rum were brought owe.
century ago. The pronunciation was
o. X, and brevlty.loving America i'm
mediately took the letters as a menas
of indorsing other things that were
MS satisfactory as the tobacco and
rum from Aux Cages. Enemies of
Andrew Jackson have tried to prove
that thu magical letters were nothing
more than the initials of "Oll Korrect,"
the alleged fashion OF the generals
spelling. This theory, however, has
been disproved.
Teddy and Polly.
Barbecue, method of preparing
meat that has lent It's name to all
day picnfcs In the South, is said to be
from the French barbe-a.queue, from
snout to tail" Others claim that Amer.
lea borrowed the name from the In.
dians of Guiana, who grilled their
meats on wooden fran called Der.
belsot. The Southerners are willing to
accept either origin of the word. so
long as the art of preparing meat in
this manner is not forgotten. Nobody
cares to go further back than Ken
lucky or Tennessee for the origin of
the word "toddy." which Is as Amer
lean as the drink itself.
The name "Polly" for parrot was
brought from New Orleans by eaarly
fatboatmen, who went from the Cum.
beFland and Ohio countries down the
mississippi to sell their produce.
They saw these tropical birds swing.
ing in front of Louisiana homes. aud
heard the owners call to the birds,
"parle, parle." meaning talk, talk"
When the travellers returned home
and told the strange birds they called
them "pollies.' The word schooner, as
applied to n sailing vessel. came from
New England, where it was coined by
a Gloucester boatman in 1713. A new
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