The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-07-13
SLANG CENTURIES OLD AND NOT
OF AMERICAN ORIGIN.

VAA Va n O1tCS ANCu# " OIuSMUOSl
"When KnighthOOd Was in Flowers
kicked the Bucket' was Known
i'm 1926 "That's a Feather i'm Ones
Cap" Went the Rounds i'm 1898 for
Killing Turk.
If there is any one thing that the
average man would be willing to
wager was of American origin it
would be the practice of dealing with
Offenders against the unwritten laws
of certain rural communities by COW
ering them with a coat of tar and
feathers. The individuals who,
shrouded in sheets and masks made
of pillow cases, oficiate at these func-
tons would doubtless agree that they
were melting out a punishment pecu-
liar to the United States, says the
New York Tribune.
The punishment, which is suppos-
ed to fit particularly n class of
transgressions however, was institute
ed long, long before the United States
was ever thought of and before this
continent was even discovered.
In the time of the crusades Rich
ard Occur de Lion and Phillip Angus
tus, two of the ~crusading kings, con-
ferred together as to the policing of
their reciprocity armies, and agreed
upon the penalties that should be in
ficted for infractions of discipline.
Among the punishments provided
by their code were that whoever kill
led another crusader vas to be cast
alive into the sea, if no water was
at hand, should be burned alive; that
whoever wounded another should
have his hand cut off; that whoever
struck another should be ducked
three times into the sea, and that
whoever stole from another, should
have warm pitch poured over his
head, which should then be pow
dered with feathers, and the offender
should afterwards be left abandoned
on the first shore"
1t would seem that only the rid
ing upon the sharp edge of a hewn
rail was of latter day invention as a
suitable climax to the punishment,
and even this may have been prac-
yiced by the ancient fanatics, al
though not included in the prescribed
code.
When we speak facetiously of some
one for whom we have no reverence
as having kicked the bucket" we
employ a phrase that would seem to
be a piece of latterday slang, but as
a matter of fact, it dates back to Old
England, when, about the year 1925
one Bolesover, hung himself to a
beam while standing On the bottom
of a bucket and then kicked the
bucket away. Although at first used
only in cases of suicide, 1T has been
applied in the course of years to any
death, without distinction.
When we take what we can get
and not what we want we call 1T
"Hobson's choice we are not refer
ring to the gentleman who once was
famous because of his kissing capac-
ity and is now ~endeavoring to scare
the wits out of US with dire predic-
tons of a japanese invasion.
The HoL son I Ia popular phrase
We. another o4Ae, and his vocation
a.. IL Z puacei, although he prey
ti n ! e peck, looks Of his coun-
tr~n 5 ~ive3' name was To
bias, end he was the first man in Eng
and l. run a livery stable and tC
lent OF steeds to the horseback rid
ily E .Tlants of that long ago day
While his stable was well filled with
hcl Ses they were, as usual in liver!
stables, of varying degrees OF speed,
! mess, but no choice was permitted
; his customers. The horse that stood
; nearest the door, whether he va:
spawned, ringboned OF a thorough
bred, was the one that the next Gus
7 toner had to take and they were
all rented at the same rates. HenC'
"Hobson's choice came to be a syno
l nym for no choice at all, which Il
: : the sense in which we use it today.
i 1t is an unfortunate thing, due II
, the cost of high living, that once II
: a while some of us are dunned TO
t debts that we owe and have no
found it convenient to pay. 1t Is ex
asperating to receive a dun" blu
: some of the irritated recipients Nigh
! feel more pleasantly about it If the,
know that the word dun was CLASH
: cal and the process had been know
by that phrase from authority.
. Way back in the reign OF Henr
VII, the father and immediate prede
cessor on the throne of the muc
married Henry, there was a bail1n G
q the city of London, who rejoiced 1
q the name of Joe Dun. So successful
q was Joe Dun in getting money gu
" Of delinquent debtors that the mel
a chants of that day used to say: ="
e Shall HdN0 " uuA ~ "hOA SAS
were about to put an account in tn
h energetic bailiff's hands, and tn
# name of this pioneer profession
collector of debts crept gradually int
current language unJil It was adon'
ed to signify urgent and insistent dc
n mands for payment.
If We all of us drink to health {
someone in the course of our live
and when the glass is particular
large and the drink uncommonly gel
is erous we call it drinking in "bumI
ers" of wine. Most of us know wht
le the after effect is of bumper drinl
ing, but few know whence it orig
If mated. Many good things seem
have been inheritances from Englan
Id and this is another of them.
ar When the Roman Catholic religic
le became ascendent in England, 1t WI
III LI~L--1 ~On1 Al ri