Jon's 1901 "A Dictionary of everyday twentieth century slang"

[Wilson Gray]

I thought that Jon's dictionary would draw the immediate attention of
the listserv, resulting in much commentary with which I could agree or
disagree, or failing that, add to the commentary at a level sufficient
to meet the requirements of what may be termed the "Ron Test."

Yet, no one has posted a mumbling, so to speak, word. Hence, I have no
examples after which to model my own commentary. Nevertheless, I have
drunk my fill of waiting and I now intend to comment upon the the JD
in an entirely-random manner. As has been said in similar instances in
which some have found themselves annoyed by the actions of others,
"Fuck you, if you can't take a joke!"

In BE, _bug juice_ lives on as a slang term for "soy sauce."

Earlier, I surmised that that urban-BE "bullcorn" was a
hypercorrection of rural-BE "bullcome," pronounced as though spelled
"bullcom" [bU:lkO:m] (= "bullshit"), motivated by an attempt by
urban-BE speakers to make sense of the nonsense - to those unfamiliar
with the BE used behind the sun - syllable, "-com." However, the JD
supplies "bull con," clearly as phonologically-plausible a source of
"bullcorn" as "bullcom."

The JD supplies _Farmer_ "an unsophisticated person; a novice; an
ignoramus." One time, in Amsterdam in 1961, a GI complained aloud that
the joint's "girls" weren't speaking in English, thereby preventing
him from being able to participate in the conversation. One of the
girls turned to him and replied,

"You want to hear some English? How about this? 'Hat up, _farmer_!'"

In both Germany and Holland, _bauer_ and _boer_, resp., translated by
the girls as "farmer," was used by them as a pswaydo-insult - a
foreign word is not a real insult, if, by those at whom it's directed,
it's regarded primarily as mere noise, even though it's clear from
context that the "noise" isn't being used as a compliment.

IAC, the similar use of English _farmer_ by both the girls in 1961 and
the JD in 1901 is most likely a complete coincidence. ;-)

The ID notes _fall down_, with the the meaning of simple _fall_, from
which it can reasonably be assumed that, at one time, the addition of
"down" to some verbs, as is the case with some instances of the
addition of _up_ to some verbs in contemporary English, was
prescriptively regarded as otiose.

 One time, I had an acquaintance from Ipswich, England, who constantly
and, IMO, oddly, used "fall *over*" in contexts in which I would have
used "fall *down*."

Q. "How'd you get the bruise?"
A. "I fell *over* while trying to learn ice-skating."

There was also the strange use of _reckon_ in contexts in which I
expected _fancy_ in BrE, used as _like_ in AmE:

"I _reckon_ you" instead of "I _fancy_ you" for "I _like_ you."

The JD's _N.G._ lives on in BE and _out of sight_ was, in the late
'50's through the '60's, totally hip.

_On the bum_ lives in BE, but with the meaning, felt to be a
medium-strength insult - embarrassing, but not laugh-off-able or a
fight-starter - "begging."

A. "Say, man, can you let me hold a single till Friday? I'm gon' pay
you back, no lie!"

B. "Muhfukka, why you always got to be _on the bum_, always be beggin'
an' shit?"

If B wanted to be kind(er; it's a cold world!) - some people on the
bum were genuinely poverty-stricken, e.g. "black comedian" Richard
"Dick" Gregory and family - B might reply,

B. "I'm so'y, man. I'm on the bum, myself! If I had a dollar, I'd
*make* you take it!"

O.T. Richard Gregory was *never* known as "Dick" in Saint Louis, where
he originally became known for (surprise!) his athletic ability. Had
he been white, he would have been the state high-school champion in
the mile run. But, at that time, black people were not permitted to
hold championships of any kind at any level whatsoever in the state of
Missouri. Black student-athletes could "participate" in the various
tournaments only as unofficial, so-called "guests." Since the colored
couldn't *officially* participate, it naturally followed that no
colored could *officially* win. Hence, the champion was *always* the
highest-finishing white person or team. Once, two black kids, Don Hurd
and his sidekick, Jehodah "We Gon' Eat they Ass *Up*!" Gaines, all by
themselves, amazingly won the city junior track championship for their
high school by taking first and second in every event but the relays.
Except, of course, they didn't, given that their participation was
unofficial.

One of Richard's younger brothers held the *national* high-school
championship in the mile, but he was never the local or state
champion, despite the fact that he didn't lose a race in four years.

This "guest" rule held until the coming of Arthur Ashe. Saint Louis
was once the center of American tennis - e.g. the Davis Cup was a gift
from Saint Louisan Dwight Davis - and remained the center of *black*
American tennis long after Saint Louis tennis had been forgotten by
white America. By the time that Arthur Ashe came to town, he was
already nationally famous and, of course, he won Saint Louis city and
Missouri state championships. Breaths were held. Was Ashe, by this
time an *internationally*-famous black kid, going to be declared *not*
the champion, because state law defined the word "champion" as
applicable only to white people? I was hoping that the state would
adapt the South-African solution to its needs and declare Ashe to be
an honorary white person for purposes of awarding championships.
Unfortunately, the state capitulated and erased the "for-whites-only"
clause from the definition of "Missouri state or local champion,"
thereby failing to make the state look more ridiculous than it already
did, much to my chagrin.

But then, the United States has always been less arbitrary than any
other country in its racism, even though, as has already been pointed
out here (we oughta make this a blog!), more arbitrariness might have
prevented the birth of the civil-rights movement. An easy e.g. is Jack
Johnson and Joe Louis, both equally
coloreds/Negroes/blacks/African-Americans in this country. Had they
been born anywhere South of the Border or in the Caribbean, they would
have belonged to separate groups, _prieto_ vs. _mestizo_, perhaps. Had
they been born in the Union of South Africa, one would have been
"black" and the other "colored."

_On_ in the sense of "assent to a challenge" is, of course, alive and
kicking in BE.

_Pug_ can also be a verb meaning to "fight fair: fists [only]" in BE.
Well, though "fight fair: fists" was an everyday expression in StL, I
don't know that it was ever in use anywhere else.
--
-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
–Mark Twain

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