Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23


others shoulder in a leap for a bar and
should start fraction of a second too soon
or too late he would be out of time. The
whole act is pitched either fast or slow. A
harmony runs through it ALL To fail to
make complete somersault is to "cast."
The time of an aerial act differs on a windy
day, when the wind shakes the tent and
sways the rigging.
More slang is used in vaudeville than on
the legitimate stage; but more and more
awful yet is used in the circus.
Much of the circus argot has come up
from yeggmen. The circus has undergone
a great change. In its formative period no
circus depended wholly on the legitimate
performance. As a result it was surrounded
by following of takers. They needed a
language that outsiders could not under
stand to carry on their underhanded work;
SO they developed a tongue as strange and
mixed as that of any of Hugos gamlns.
The dramatic profession is often spoken of
as being world to ITSELF but it is not half
SO exclusive as the circus profession. Faml-
lies are brought up, grow old, and die in the
harness without ever doing or scarcely know
ing ANYTHING outside of the three rings.
Acrobatic troupes are nearly all families.
They marry and inter1narry much as old
time Southerners did. 1t would be as inn
possible for one of the four hundred to mix
with circus crowd as for a trooper to attend
a Fifth-ave. ball. They are a clan to them
selves. Outsiders are "rubes." An outsider
and dangle an eyeglass. Little Polly in
"Polly of the Circus" explains ENORMOUSLY
to the minister:
"You see, Mister, we always call guy
like you rube.
The circus has grown better; but it has
not yet wholly reformed, by any means.
Grating shows have gone by the board, all
except the smaller ones playing inland.
There are grafters and CRITTERS, boosters and
trailers. Strongarm men, Stlck-up men,
three-shell men, and so on till the show is
out of town couple of days.
The circus manager comes rushing into a
grating sideshow: "Say, are you grafters
a bunch of first O May punks? You know
these husl1ies are laying for a chance to
start clean, and yet you clean some boob
out to fare-ye-well and don't even square
him when he makes a squawk. Now you
simps slough this Joint and fade. Tear to
your keysters and swing your gats. These
hicks here are pretty hard nuts, and therell
be hev-rube proper if can't stall the Dicks
off with some kale.'
Circuses usually open in April; so late
conner or new man with show is "First
O. May A punk is First O May boy.
Rubes or outsiders have several names:
huskies, farmers. and boobs. Boobs are
specially gullible: persons. Hicks are more
on the line of roughs Slough" is broad
term to express break up or clear out.
"Fade" is to get oneself out of sight. A
"keyster" is trunk, just as turkey" is a
suitcase. A "gat' is revolver. 1t is con-
traction of Calling gun. Saving your gat"
means hide your revolver.
An officer of the law has many names.
"Dick' is a common one. So is "Johnny
Law"
"Kale" is cash Gingle). A cent in three
ring life is meg nickel a "bean" or a
"gitney," a dollar is wheel" or "chip, a
ten-dollar bill is "sawbuck."
If a Snowman has a good @front," you may
be sure his suit is all right. He probably has
on new "kcks," new did" or @dip," and
possibly denny" Thus, with an overcoat
on he is all dressed up.
A bed is a "vest" or "kip," and when a
Snowman goes to bed he stakes flop"
A dog is mutt girl is 3moll' or
a 3muff1; a negro is a 3dinge." A man is a
"bloke,7 a "guy,' or "gee."
Most vaudevillians would recognize in the
name of Adam Lowerguy the ignorant house
manager of a small time circuit. The name
came about through a series of letters in a
vaudeville shop sheet purporting to be from