AMERICAN NOMENCLATURE. 205- 



i.e., Drs. G , H , W , N , and J. G. W ; 



while the young ones i.e., himself and Mr. H , sat quietly, 



and improved their minds with wisdom. Now, as Dr. Holmes 

 talked more than all of us put together, this was not a bad speci- 

 men of cheek. 



Scattered throughout the " log " are curiosities of 

 American nomenclature, some of which I give herewith. 

 The ordinary hackneyed expressions are altogether 

 omitted. 



Did not you think that a drummer was some one who beat a 

 drum ? Here the word signifies a commercial traveller. 



I always thought that a crank was a part of machinery, but 

 here it signifies a lunatic. 



A big advertisement (pronounced " advertizement "), or a candi- 

 dature for office, is called a " boom." If it fails, it is a " fizzle " ; if 

 it succeeds, it is a " bonanza." A " bonanza girl " may mean an 

 heiress, or the reigning beauty, or a famous horsewoman, &c., <fec. 

 " Museum " has the accent on the first syllable. What we call a 

 railway rug is here called a " lap robe." 



Another curious expression : to " enthuse." This is the elec- 

 tioneeringest country in the world. No sooner had they elected the 

 governor than they began on the mayor, who is here elected by 

 public vote. There was a procession last evening nearly, if not 

 quite, two miles long, with brass bands, drums and fifes, and Ame- 

 rican flags by the dozen. I was asking what it was all about. My 

 interlocutor was quite disgusted with the tatneness of the whole 

 affair, and said that " Borston didn't enthuse worth a cent." 



To "beat" your way to a place signifies to evade payment of 

 the fare. To beat hotels means to go into these establishments, eat 

 a big dinner, and run yoiir chance of being kicked out. A " tin- 

 type" signifies a hardly perceptible touch of negro blood in an 

 apparently pure white. It is sure to show itself, either by the 

 peculiar negro intonation ; by the absence of the " half-moon " on 

 the finger-nails; by involuntary swinging or jerking of the body 

 or limbs ; by a sudden burst of laughter or irascibility without 



