Slang – 1800s Style - Kowalski Heat Treating

Slang is a way of expressing oneself using words that have a different meaning than the actual words. Cool Beans, Cat’s Pajamas, Puttin on the Dog, Chill, Talk to the Hand, Keep Your Shirt On, and so many others, some of which you’ve probably used or heard in the past. For us baby boomers, many of our sayings have come to pass, such as: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; burning the midnight oil; Penny wise and pound foolish., and mind your P’s and Q’s – (one of Mom’s favorites!). For the younger generations today, some favorites are RIzzy, Crashout, Delulu, Brain Rot, and one of my favorites – Adulting!– long gone are “Whatever”, Rad, and Gag Me With A Spoon. And for my “industrial buds”, some of these made it to the shop floor or work yard: Close Enough For Government Work., Measure Twice, Cut Once., Built Like A Brick Out House (PG version)., It’ll Run Till The Wheels Fall Off., And If It Doesn’t Fit, Get A Bigger Hammer. I came across a text from the 19th century titled The American Slang Dictionary, published in 1891, and got completely caught up in reading it and the origins of the saying (here’s the link: The American Slang Dictionary. Life back then was characterized by its rapid industrialization and vast westward expansion. Many words had dual meanings, such as when they were used to name a drink (e.g., Back of the Hand). But for all the trends that have been left behind, it’s fun to revisit how Americans communicated back then. Special thanks to wordsmartts.com. Here are a few of my unusual favorites. Enjoy!

According to Gunter

The slang phrase “according to Gunter” references a 17th-century English clergyman and mathematician, Edmund Gunter. He created a measuring device called “Gunter’s chain,” which was used to accurately survey plots of land. Thus, this phrase was coined to reference anything done reliably and in accordance with an established rule.

Hobson’s Choice

If you’re offered a Hobson’s choice, you might think you have free will to decide. But this type of choice is actually an illusion, and you have only one real option. The Hobson in question is a stable owner named Thomas Hobson from Cambridge, England. As the tale goes, Hobson would always make his customers choose the horse nearest the door, regardless of their personal preference. “Hobson’s choice” then refers to being pushed into only one option, under the guise of open selection.

Two Upon Ten

The phrase “two upon ten” means “to be especially watchful and attentive.” It was based on the idea of shop owners with suspicions that a customer was shoplifting. The vendor would use their two eyes to keep an eye on the suspected thief’s 10 fingers, ensuring the wannabe robber didn’t make off with any stolen goods.

Mugwump

“Mugwump” first appeared around the 1884 presidential election. It described all voters who went against party politics and voted for a candidate from across the aisle. The first use of “mugwump” was applied to Republicans who chose to vote for the Democrat Grover Cleveland over their own party’s candidate, James G. Blaine. The word comes from the Algonquin mugquomp, meaning “leader.” Reminds me of a Harry Potter book!

Monkey and Parrot Time

This odd phrase can be applied to petty quarrels or melees. Its origins sound like a bit of a fantastical tale — as the story goes, a woman left her favorite bird in the same room as a monkey, and when she left, the two animals began to fight. When the woman returned, the parrot purportedly said, “We’ve been having a hell of a time.”

Wake Up the Wrong Passenger

In the 19th century, train robberies were a valid concern as thieves would sneakily pick the pockets of sleeping travelers. But once in a while they’d accidentally wake up a passenger who would opt to fight back. This gave rise to the slang phrase “wake up the wrong passenger,” which refers to rousing a person who puts up resistance after being bothered.

Shoddyocracy

“Shoddyocracy” refers to a person or business that accrues wealth by selling inferior services and goods. It combines the word “shoddy”, meaning “inferior”, with “–cracy,” a suffix that comes from the Greek kratos, meaning “power.” Seems like it still has a place today! CONGRESS!

Walk Your Chalks

People who “walk their chalks” are behaving properly. It comes from the idea that a drunk man would have a tough time walking in a straight chalk line drawn on the ground, whereas someone who is well-behaved would have little issue.

Button-Holing

If you were to button-hole someone, that person would rather be anywhere else than listening to you talk. It stems from the idea of holding the button of a victim’s coat to prevent their ability to escape. Anyone being button-holed would have a tough time escaping unwanted conversation.

Forty-Rod

Back in the 19th century, strong, cheap, and potentially dangerous whiskey was known as “forty-rod.” The idea was that the whiskey was so potent that its fumes could kill from a distance of 40 rods away (each rod equaled 5.5 yards, and 40 rods equaled 220 yards).

Dyed in the Wool

If someone is dyed in the wool, they’ve held on to their faith and principles. Home-spun clothing was dyed by hand, which became a rarity as industrialization and mass production became more common. The phrase was often used to describe well-intentioned politicians, as it was rare to find one who hadn’t been corrupted.

Chicagoed

If you’ve been Chicagoed, you’ve been trounced in competition. The term refers to a 19th-century Chicago baseball team that was extremely talented and known for walloping their opponents. The teams that failed to score against them were said to have been Chicagoed.

Acknowledge the corn

Began around 1828 in a story about a flatboatman who admitted to stealing corn but denied stealing a neighbor’s hogs. It became highly popular in 19th-century American politics, where congressmen would use it on the House floor to confess to a minor policy blunder without admitting full defeat.

See the elephant

Born from traveling circuses where farmers would walk miles just to glimpse the rare, exotic beast. During the 1849 Gold Rush and Civil War, soldiers and prospectors used it ironically to mean surviving combat or brutal hardships, often muttering that they had “seen the elephant” and were ready to go home.

Sockdologer

A playful, phonetic corruption of “doxology”—the closing hymn or prayer in a Christian church service that signals the definitive end of the meeting. Historically, this was the exact punchline word in the play Our American Cousin that triggered a burst of audience laughter, which John Wilkes Booth used to mask his gunshot sound when assassinating Abraham Lincoln. (now you know!!)

Nanty narking

Derived from “nanty” (meaning none or nothing in Romani/theatrical slang) and “nark” (to annoy or vex), essentially meaning “no complaints.” Young Victorian elites used it in invitation notes to describe wild, secretive night parties that bypassed the strict, suffocating etiquette of formal ballrooms. This certainly sounds like Vegas to me!

Slang Added to the Dictionary in the last five years: Yeet, Janky, and Goated are just a few – check them out!