The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-02-07
DESTINED TO LIVE
Not All War Phrases Likely to Be
Forgotten.
Some Of Them Are Welcome Additions
to the Language, and Those That
Are Not Will Not Long
Retain Favor.

The Buffalo Express appeals for q
new war vocabulary. 1t cites SIX
phrases in common use and declares
that they have been used SO much that
they mean nothing. 1t demands that
writer's cudgel their brains to lind new
phrases to take their places.
Here are the six phrases that have
occasioned this attack:
Hun .drive." "over the top" do
ing your Bit" carrying on" and
'strafe."
Though possibly all Of these words
and to them should have been added
"Boche" and 'camouflage" at least
are being o~verworked, there Is much
to be said in their behalf, and most of
them doubtless will stick till. in the
natural and unprecedented course OF
word manufacture, new ones develop
to take their place. the Duluth Herald
observes.
And the main thing to be said for
them Is that they are very useful. be-
cause every one of them expresses
poignantly an important thought. The
purpose of language is to convey
thought. Language that conveys a
thought most effectively to the most
people, especially at a time when
c%learness and definiteness Of thought
are so important as now, is the best
language to use.
Hun isn't likely to 20 out OF use
so long as Americans remember Bel
GUM and northern France and the
bombing Of cities and the destruction
Of churches by long-distance guns and
the work of the submarine. Not to
speak of the rare availability Of the
word for the uses Of head writer's, who
have helped to make 1t common, the
connOtations of the word fit so ac-
~curately the common opinion Of the
character Of the Germans as devel-
oped in this war that there is small
chance of its retirement.
"Over the top has been worked
hard in the same connection. used aft
err q quota has been filled and in that
sense WEAKNESS Of 1t has led to its
gradual disuse. Moreover. there is like
~ to be less trench warfare and more
war in the open henceforth. and as
''over the top" means a leap OF the at
tackrng force out of its trench this Is
the phrase most likely to be dropped.
Yet it's Significance In stouthearted
valor and daring among those who
have gone "over the top" is SO deep
that it will never be forgotten by them
or by us.
"Doing your bit" It Is well enough
to retire, o because 1t has been over
worked, but because It has been mis-
understood. In Britain, where It start
ed, 1t means "doing your share" 1t
doesn't mean doing "a little bit" 1t
neans doing all yOu car. But III
Sense OF the word having that large
difference, 1t isn't a good phrase for
us to use, and we should retire 1t on
q pension and substitute. do your ut
| most"
"Carry on" another British phrase.
and should not be sacrificed for any
consideration. When the British at
Mons and after were O~verpowered and
overwhelmed and outnumbered and all
but crushed by the enemy's superior
ity in strength and equipment they
simply carried on" and SO made the
reversal at the Marine possible. What
ever betides, however black the hour
may grow, however hopeless the out
look may SEEM, It is the Anglo-Saxon
habit to "carry on" and the courage
and persistence 1t stands for have
plucked victory out Of many a defeat.
"Carry On" will have won this war SO
let US. who share the same spirit with
our British cousins never forget the
word and the spirit It stands for.
"Strafe." being German. we could
spare readily enough. as well as the
spirit Of venom and hate that 1t sig
nifies.
Words don't win or lose wars. Let
us launch our "drive" ''over the top"
each man 'doing his bit" and let us
carry on until we 'strafe" the "Hun"
forevermore.