The chronicle=news., 1913-03-14
SLANG
INTERESTING SAYS
N. De FoUQu|ERES

For the first time since he has
been In this country. Andre d. F'ou-
duicres. the Beau Brnnn,ci or Paris,
discovered ut 4 O'Clock last evening
that he had ten minutes TO "kIii."
How would he employc the time. he
asked IL Herald reporter. The report
cr suggested that the Frcnchman
give his Impression Of American
slang.
| One word of your urEot. said
Mr.. tie FOuquicrcs. pauxinI to permit
the flame OF IL match to touch the
"nd OF his cigarette. lis enough 10
depict u situation. II Is hard to un-
dcrstand. though. this slang Of Amer
lea. hut the words that I have heard
have u beauty OF tone and of note.
Short and expressive is tho Amcri-
cans idea Of argot. Your sylinbl.s In
this connection are truly exquisite.
AT times I must admit that have
been bothered because I could not
catch the meaning OF some Of thcN.
words In the theatre. Hut now I like
| these same words They are extra
ordinary.
One Of your words IL u picture.
Take AT word 'bcntit.' | heard . tax
scab driver say II one duy to boy
| who insisted on ianrcrinE with tho
horn OF the car. II sounded to me
that II was something that tho taxi.
cab driver forbade the boy to do:
| something said In u mild yet firm
tone. II had the desired. effect. too.
FOR the hoy left. What was Il ! rpy to
myself. that the tnxlcnb driver has
said to this boy, don't know then.
but after u while I find y friend who
III s..s -.
is splendid. II Just means nilcx vous
en-. The boy went. The driver did not
us. any profanc isnRunec.
In your theatres I hear the sainc
; expressive words and phrases. You
understand that one word and you
catch the whole thing. J wonder
sometimes before ! ask what u word
means. That sentence. 1t does norl
cat any lee to me Is fine. I laugh NJ
II. Then OF course. you have the word
bluff which has become u French
word now. 'bluf-r. Butt in is an
other combination that Is suggestive.
Eut the word that for days I have
puzzled over the meaning was goat.
! did not hear the rest OF II. All I
chnrd was goat Finally ! UNDER
! stand somebOdy To SAY on the stage
that he had taken the other mans
goat. have not seen the other
| mans goat | have not him that he
has his goat. The second actor i'm
imcdiatcly assumes u iuriouness that
is appalling. He is mad. Now J un-
ders,and that when you have made "a
man angry you have obtained his
goat Why don't know. Nobody
has Informed me.
The other day rcnd In the news
Papers OF ~ sob squad II Is another
puzzlcr. I must have mispronounccd
II for none of my friends here could
ut first tell me what u sob squad
was. Wonderful. II is. when I discov-
.r that II sob squad is u writer that
is u woman. But she is not II sob
squad in herself. She is one OF the
squad. which In the singular Is
known as sob sister
| "Cf course, you have u four flush
cr.' which is comprehensive to the
krcrson who plays poker. Bu: YOU
don't call Il fien man a flush do
you? You only say HI Is flush
when he has enough money. Green
backs. have seen alluded tn. I find
IL is money. ANA then when ] hear
something else see II is long green
that man must have to be flush
but he never Is u 'rlushcr.'
Not infrcIucntly I hear persons
say to other persons. ITS up TO you
u Is also n good term. Certainly II
is up to them TO do something. You
Americans have so many Interesting
little wOrdsw hich mean 70 much. All
this OF course YOU Americans take.
You have no time To Kill You want
to beat IT, somewhere all the time,
oh" II Is your rapidity. the electric
iiy In the atmosphere. and YOU h3v"
no time for long phrases. So YOU
mako brilliant and imaginative
terms that arc your slang. Some OF
these words arc extremely amusing.
They are not flat or delivered In "A
monotone. but interesting. llkc
everything else In your country.
They are not vulgar One talks quick
ly ofa bunch OF roses and n bunch OF
pcrsosn. The words of this wonderful
argot are the 'synthese de vos pen
sees. as we would say In French. -
New York Herald.
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