Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-16
OUR SLANG CENTURIES OLD
Some of the Choicest AmericRniEms
BlOOm with Mass of Past
Ages.

Ages
When we speak facetiously Of someone
for whom we have no reverence as 'hav-
ing kicked the bucket" we employ a
phrase that would seem to be a piece of
latter day slang. but, as a matter Of fact
II dates back to Old England, when about
the year 1T95, one Bolsover hung himself
to beam while standing on the bottom
of busket 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 and call It "Hobson's
choice" we are not referring to the gen
tieman who once was famous because of
his kissing capacity and is now endeavor-
ing to scare the wits out of us with dire
predictions of a Japanese invasion
The Hobson OF the popular phrase was
another one, and his vocation was more
peaceful, although he preyed upon the
pocketbooks of his countrymen. His
given name was Tobias. and he was the
first man in England to run livery
stable and to rent out steeds TO the
hoseback riding gallants of that long
! ago day. While his stable was well filled
with horses, they were, as usual in liv-
cry stables Of varying degrees of speedi-
ness, but no choice was permitted his GUS
| toners. The horse that stood nearest the
door. whether he was spawned, ringboned
or thoroughbred, was the one that the
next customer had to take, and they all
were rented at the same rates. Hence
'Hobson's Choice" came TO be a synonym
Tor no choice at all, which is the sense
in which we use it today.
II Is an unfortunate hing, due to the
cost of high living that once in a while
some Of us are dunned for debts that we
owe and have not found II convenient
to pay. 1t is exasperating to receive a
dun" but some OF the irritated recp-
tents might feel more pleasantly about
1t II they knew that the word dun was
classical and the process had been
known by that phrase from antiquity.
Way back in the reign Of Henry VII,
the father and immediate predecessor on
the throne of the much married Henry,
there was a. bailiff Of the city of Lon
don, who rejoiced in the name of Joe
Dun. So successful was Joe Dun in
getting money out Of delinquent debtors
that the merchants of that day used to
say; II shall have to Dun him." when
they were about to put an account in
the energetic baliffs hands, and the
name of this pioneer professional collector
Of debts crept gradually into current lang
uage until it was adopted to signify urgent
and insisten demands for payment
We all of us drink 10 the health of
someone In the course OF our lives, and
when the glass is particularly large and
the drink uncommony generous We call
4 Arfn -.
OF us know what the after effect is OF
bumper drinking, but few know, whence
1t originated. Many good things seem to
nave been tnheritances from England and
) this is another OF them.
When the Roman Catholic religion be
came ascendant in England it was made
obligatory that all good Christians shoulf
drink the health of the pope after dinner
every day. and that his holiness health
was to be pledged in a full glass. which
was to be drained to the bottom Tn,
toast prescribed as proper was 'au Dor
pere' but the Anglo-Saxon of those dav,
was not good French student and hi,
pronunciation was faulty, so that "bor
pere' rapidly became corrupted Z,
/ bumper and so II has survived eve,
since. Although the significance of tn,
draugh and its name have changed, the ef.
feet is said to be quite the same as If
, those days -
II You make a lucky turn IN the stool
market and tell your friends about 4
} some one Of them viii doubtless say
Well that's feather in your cap" II.
knows something OF the vagaries Of IN
quotation board but 1t will be a safe be
that he does not know that he Is usin,
an expression many hundred years old
In that vast storehouse OF everything tba
Is historical, quaint and unusual ~,
BRUSH Museum. is a manuscript bool
written by one Lansdowne and descrIbin,
MS travels in Hungary in 1898 at which
ume that country was almost unknoU,
TO his countrymen
Lansdowne says: 1T hath been a,
anuert custome amongst them thai non
shoulo weare fether but he who bo,
killed Turk, 10 whom onIie VI was lou,
cape" III NJ
would seem that the man who %
the best OF the wheat pit OF the stocl
market was as much to be decorated a
ne VINO killed Turk for the latter nor
iormanee was probably easier; but n m
practice was revived IN actually as NC,
rs IN words. II II doubtful II the festha
market would feel the effect Of ans, ~
usual demand our everyday phrases or
interesting when We come 10 look int
, them and they are not less appIjca HI
to the strenuous life OF the present day
e considering that most Of them are IN
8 product Of strenuous lives OF the past
d New York Tribune.
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