.o8 Colorado College Studies. 



often heard among all classes of people. Some of the more 

 amusing ones are: I feel rather claiincji meaning I feel rather 

 poorhj. Again we have a popular derivation for dauncy, which 

 is rather more expressive than elegant. I have been told 

 soberly by different ones that it is a contraction of damn sick. 

 The dictionaries give no information on the subject. As an 

 explanation of this word I would suggest, though with great 

 hesitation, the French word dancette, or the more common form 

 is danche {dench4), from which we have in English the two 

 words dancette and dancy. The great trouble is with the mean- 

 ing. Both words are terms of heraldry, descriptive of escutcheons 

 having the edge or outline broken into large and wide zigzags. 

 The real meaning of the word is indented, and it probably stands 

 for dente. Possibly the idea of being hroJien or notched like the 

 teeth of a saw may have been applied figuratively to physical 

 nature and would certainly have as much sense as the hrolw hone 

 ever so common in malarial districts, and so dreaded. The 

 most amusiag expressions, however, were those heard in an 

 Ironside sermon. But it would be impossible to reproduce 

 them as they would lose their flavor if not delivered by the 

 minister in person. 



Often these expressions are of grammatical nature and 

 deserve a careful study. Here are several of that character: 

 Would you rather Jiave tJiis as that? though I have heai'd as 

 used for tliat after the conjunctiou than in various parts of the 

 country. A good old construction is retained in the following: 

 With tlie blood a-runniii' down his side. This corresponds to, 

 tie lay a-dying, etc. Another (bible) construction is retained in 

 this: They loolxcd for to see him die every day. For to instead 

 of to is now obselete. The double comparative is not infrequent 

 here. I noted more pleasanter on several occasions. In ex- 

 pressions of weather I find the following in my note-book: To 

 fair off meaning to clear off; to liave a cloud meaning to have a 

 shower. 



