Cariboo slang circa 1863

[Dave Robertson]

http://goldrushbc.com/slang.htm

is the site of this page...go there for more links, but here's the text
including some Chinook Jargon:--Dave
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The British Colonist, Thursday Morning, August 6, 1863

 The following amusing Proclamation, forwarded to us by our Cariboo
"Special," came to hand by the last Express from
 Richfield:

 A newspaper is truly said to represent the current literature of the day,
and it may not be amiss to cast a glance at the many
 inroads which are continually being made on a language already overburdened
with innovations. To check these is its
 province, except perhaps where conventionalism and the current of popular
usage and custom is too strong. In the latter case
 it may be prudent no doubt to float down quietly with the stream. In my
opinion Cariboo will beat the world for its peculiar
 slang terms and phrases. An inhabitant of the Old World emigrating hither
ought to serve an apprenticeship in Australia, and
 California before venturing to turn "honest miner." If the machinery of
Government were to keep pace with changes which
 occur in mining phraseology, more from the annual ebb and flow of an
erratic class of men than anything else, our laws and
 proclamations would form a curious study to the New Zealander who is at
some future day to "sketch the ruins of St. Paul's
 from Westminster Bridge!" Let us imagine that every future proclamation
should accommodate itself to the country, and the
 next one which must issue, as some radical changes are requisite, would no
doubt read as follows--I shall only attempt a
 synopsis:

 PROCLAMATION! HAVING THE FORCE OF LAW, YOU BET!

 Whereas, a change in the mining laws is expedient. Be it enacted as
follows:

 1. That all former proclamations are hereby repealed and "played out."

 Interpretation clause--In the construction of this act the words "Guv"
shall mean the Governor of this Colony, and
 "Commish" shall mean the Gold Commissioner for the time being. The words
"fizzled," "played out," "petered," "caved,"
 and "gone up a flume," shall respectively mean when applied to a claim,
that the same is worthless; and when applied to an
 individual, that he is ruined, helpless, dead, or in debt, and the terms
"dead broke" and "busted," shall for the purposes of
 this act be construed to mean the same. That the word "pile," "the dust,"
"spondulix," "the color," and "bottom dollar," shall
 be construe to mean the current coin of this realm, and shall constitute a
legal tender.

 The term "free miner" shall mean every person entitled to mine, and "free
miner" shall mean an "honest miner," and "honest
 miner" shall for the purposes of this act include "a gut;" and "he" shall,
when used, mean "she," and the latter term shall
 include "kloochmen."

 The term "on it" shall imply a willingness to buy, sell or get drunk; and
"on the make" shall mean a determination to "make"
 money honestly if you can, but if you can't--make money; "on the sell"
shall mean a willingness to sell, and "on the buy" a
 willingness to purchase.

 The term "you bet" shall be used to remove any doubt, which may possibly
exist in the mind of the individual addressed;
 and "you bet your life" shall be applied in the same way, but shall be more
conclusive; and the term "you bet your boots"
 shall be equivalent to "you bet your life;" and the term "you bet your
bottom dollar" shall for the purposes of this act mean
 "your life" or "your boots."

 The word "chain lightning" shall mean very ardent spirits; and "mountain
howitzer" shall mean liquor that kills at over 1000
 yards; and "scorpion juice" shall be construed to mean "mountain howitzer"
or "chain lightning," and "drinks for the crowd"
 shall mean any and all of the foregoing for the persons present, but not
any others.

 That "grey backs" shall mean the gold escort, and the term "sail in" and
"wade in," shall be used instead of the word
 "charge;" and the word "retreat" shall in no case be used, and shall be
expunged from the language.

 That "in a horn" shall be equivalent to the old classical term of "over the
left;" and "in a hog's eye" shall mean no such
 place, but for the purposes of this act "in a horn" shall be equivalent to
"in a hog's eye." These terms shall imply doubt and
 be equivalent to "no you don't."

 "That the term "vamoose the ranch" shall mean that the individual referred
to has left for parts unknown; and "slope" shall
 be equivalent to "vamoose the ranch;" and "make tracks" shall for the
purposes of this act be equally expressive as the two
 foregoing terms.

 That the term "got the dead wood on him" shall not refer to any kind of
timber whatever, dead or alive, but shall be used
 when one individual has obtained a fair or unfair advantage over another;
and the term "got the bulge on him" shall be as
 strong as "getting the dead wood on him," and getting either the "bulge or
dead wood on him" may result from "sloping,"
 "making tracks" or "vamoosing the ranch."

 That "spotted," when applied to an individual shall have no reference to
the state of the skin of any white man or any spot
 thereon, but shall mean that he is watched; and when applied to mining
shall mean that the gold is scattered; and the term
 "biz" shall mean business.

 That "sock it to him" shall be equivalent to the old word "punish;" and
"give him fits" shall be equivalent to "sock it to him;"
 provided, also, that the word "fits" shall not include apoplexy or
epilepsy.

 That "jaw-bone shall mean credit, provided, also, that the size, shape and
contour of such "jaw-bone" shall not, for the
 purposes of this Act be material.

 That "nare a color" shall be equivalent to "dead broke," and there shall be
no difference between "nare a color" and "nare a
 red."

 That the phrase "there's a heap of trouble on the old man's mind" shall
mean that the individual referred to is either "gone up
 a flume," "petered," or that he has "struck bed rock pitching" the wrong
way, and a "young man" shall, for the purposes of
 this Act, be an "old man" and the feminine gender shall be included in the
masculine, and both in the neuter.

 That "bully for you," or "bully for him" shall mean a term of approval; and
"good on your head," or "good on his head" shall
 mean the same thing.

 That the terms "old hoss," "Doc" and "Cap" are all equivalent, and the term
"or any other man" shall have no definite
 meaning, and may be applied indiscriminately to all things.

 And "slum-gullion" shall mean clay; "pay dirt," dirt containing gold, and
"good prospect" shall not mean a pleasing
 landscape, but plenty of "pay-dirt," and "wash boulders," wash-gravel" and
"bed-rock pitching" shall mean good
 indications of gold somewhere.

 That "a jumper" shall not mean a person who indulges in the active exercise
of jumping, but shall mean a person who
 possesses himself of another man's claim because it is paying; and an
invalid, or cripple, or woman may be a "jumper."

 That the terms false bed rock, rim-rock, flume, sluice, sinking, drifting,
tunnelling, "salting," and "beans straight," shall and
 may be explained by any "honest miner" including "a gut," and such
explanation shall for the purposes of this act be
 received and considered to be the evidence of skilled witnesses in all Her
Majesty's courts of law and equity in this colony.

 2. It shall be lawful for the Gov., you bet, to appoint one or more
commishes, as he shall think proper, to transact the biz of
 the mines in this colony.

 3. That no jumper shall hereafter be allowed to indulge in the exercise and
if the Commish shall find him on it, he shall have
 power to sock it to him, or fine him in drinks for the crowd, you bet your
life.

 4. That all honest miners, including guts, who are on the buy, may purchase
more than two claims from those who are on the
 sell, provided also that both parties may or may not be on the make.

 5. That any honest miner, including a gut, who shall after the passing of
this act allow any other miner to "get the dead wood
 on him" shall, you bet your boots, upon complaint made to the Commish that
there's a heap of trouble on the old man's mind,
 be spotted as a muggins, and be ordered in consequence to pay a fine of two
ounces or in default of payment, catch fits, and
 the Commish shall approve of the conduct of the one that's on it by saying
bully for you, and may add at his pleasure or any
 other man.

 6. Not finished and therefore this act is to save time; issued under our
seal of Cariboo, this 22d day of July, in the third year
 of the mines.

 By command of the Miners.

 His

 Wm X Hazeltine.

 Mark


 Standard
 English
                   Cariboo slang
                                            Standard English

Cariboo slang
 bed-rock pitching
                   indication of gold
                                            Guv

Governor
 biz
                   business
                                            in a horn; in a hog's eye

no, you don't
 bottom dollar
                   currency
                                            jaw-bone

credit
 get the bulge on him
                   take advantage of him
                                            jumper

someone who takes another

miner's claim
 bully for you
                   good for you
                                            make tracks

leave (generally to avoid

debts or other trouble)
 busted
                   without money, broke
                                            mountain howitzer

liquor
 caved
                   worthless (a claim) or broke
                   (an individual)
                                            nare a color; nare a red

without money, broke
 chain lightning
                   liquor
                                            pay-dirt

dirt containing gold
 color
                   currency, gold
                                            petered

worthless (a claim) or broke

(an individual)
 Commish
                   Gold Commissioner
                                            pile

currency, gold
 dead broke
                   without money, broke
                                            scorpion juice

liquor
 get the dead wood on
 him
                   take advantage of him
                                            slope

leave (generally to avoid

debts or other trouble)
 dust
                   currency
                                            slum-gullion

clay
 give him fits
                   punish
                                            sock it to him

punish
 fizzled
                   worthless (a claim) or broke
                   (an individual)
                                            spondulix

currency, gold
 free miner or honest
 miner
                   anyone entitled to mine
                                            spotted

watched or a place where

gold is scattered
 gone up a flume
                   worthless (a claim) or broke
                   (an individual)
                                            vamoose the ranch

leave (generally to avoid

debts or other trouble)
 grey backs
                   gold escort
                                            you bet; you bet your boots; you
bet
                                            your life; you bet your bottom
dollar

absolutely, definitely
 a gut
                   a miner