COLLOQUIAL TONGUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20650, 23 August 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

COLLOQUIAL TONGUE.

UNOFFICIAL VOCABULARY.

BY C.Q.N

In the course of some interesting observations about Now Zealand and her people, an English lecturer, Mr. E. Norman Torry, remarked upon " queer expressions " in our vernacular. Ho mentioned the term " too right," the inevitable " cow," and what he described as " your wonderfully expressive word ' juke.' " Wo cannot claim letters patent to " jake." It was picked up by our soldiers from the Canadians, who have used .it for years, and by them incorporated in our colloquial vocabulary. Mr. lorry's interest in these things prompts a discussion upon them, but one who wishes to do so is at onco confronted by a gravo difficulty, that of the many terms that are beyond the pale of print. To borrow the meteorologist's convenient phrase, they vary from " strong to gale." Sometimes they are employed for emphasis, sometimes to give colour, occasionally to help expression and meaning, often to give a touch of impish humour. But for one artist in strong language there aro a score of people who reveal a very juvenile tendency to show off, to attract attention or to become gross and offensive. In any case it is impossible to discuss this important aspect of colloquial language. However, we may pay some attention to " uncoloured " colloquialisms. Mr. Torry said that where in England they said " gone to the dogs " New Zealand said " gone to the pack." Ido not know if this term is peculiarly New Zealand. As a matter of fact, it is difficult to determine if any colloquialisms are peculiarly of these islands, seeing that the Australian genius for inventing expressive slang is very' liable to find as good a field hero as in Australia. It might be thought that " going to the pack " carried the idea of a dog going back to wolf, otherwise a good man gone wrong. Doubtless it does, but the expression probably comes from poker when a player throws in his hand after the betting has becorpo " too solid," as a colloquial New Zealandcr might say. Thus we hear of a man admitting that he has " gono to the pack " when ho is exhausted. Our Dear Old " Cow." Our dear old " cow " may not be a New Zealand one at all. The Australian is just as ready as a New Zealander to call a bad road or a bad job or something objectionable a " cow." Of course, it should be " fair cow." " Fair " is frequently used in New Zealand and Australia to indicate complete or conclusive. Tho late Lord Northcliffe was intrigued with the " fair cow " when he visited New Zealand, and wrote about it. But he spelled it " faire " and comfessed he hadn't the slightest idea what it meant. Certainly, it has no relation to a blonde hide or to just and equitable , considerations. Let us remember, however, that a " /air " speech is a specious one. I'm inclined to think, however, that wo have invented a new sort of meaning for tho word. Probably " cow " , became, a term of opprobrium before she became a highly economic individual in this country.

Numbers of our expressions relato to card games. One is " turned down," meaning refused a request. Obviously it is from euchre. But what of " tu/n it up," meaning desist from some action or speech ? It has tho same meaning as " cut it out," which, of course, makes it quite clear, " Decent " and " Clever." I wonder if our word " decent" is our own ? " How aro you 1" " Decent." "What sort of a timo did you have?" " Oh, decent." However, wo have refrained from making tho word negative to indicate the reverse of a good time. Then we have " clever." " How aro you to-day?" "Not too clever," meaning a bit off colour. But why " off colour?" Why not "pale." In my youth the boys used to express satisfaction with a thing by saying that it was " pie oh." Possibly this is typographical in origin. " Pie " was a thing of satisfaction to compositors in tho hand-setting days. Boys used to say they had " poled " a thing when they had committed a mild theft. I suppose tho originator had used a polo for tho purpose of knocking down apples. During the war the term persisted and was developed slightly. Ono remembers hearing tho opinion that tho quarter-master had been playing " polo " onco again. "Over the fence " may bo a littlo worn, but it still does duty. It is applied to a person who is greedy or unreasonable or scandalous and unashamed. Probably it has its origin in local rules for cricket or rounders in a small garden. It is not affirmed that all these terms are of New Zealand origin. It is obvious that when large bodies of men go to war they gather terms from other countries, and it is just as obvious that, when ono country floods tho world with its silent or talking pictures, borrowed colloquialisms como into use. Thus perhaps we get " came a thud," " some," and so on. But our common word " hoot" for money is unquestionably our own, being a distortion of tho Maori "utu." But how did " zuck," a sixpence, arrive? Or "sprat" for tho samo coin, or " deenor " for a shilling? The Officer o! the Quarter Guard,

Is " sacked " purely colonial ? What about " bosker " ? Tho Australians call it " bonza," which may relate to bonanza. Who first called a good meal a " binder," and why do so many people refor to a male whose name they may not know as a " joker " ? Thcro is ono very common expression which will bo recalled in this incident. Tho ofliccr of an English quarter guard, evidently of academic pursuits iti private life, was giving evidenco in precise language about New Zoalanders who had resisted arrest causing injury to the guard. He had had to bo called, and oven then they bad continued to display a highly aggressive attitude. Ho said: " They intimated to mo that if one did not let them go ono would alight gracefully on one's abdomen." I wonder if this is really excessive:— " This joker come up and sez, ' What about a deener, eh ?' I sez, ' Like smoke. Don't come at that.' Ho sez things had been a fair cow. He wasn't feelin' too clever. No oscar. Hadn't had any scran sinco yesterday. ' Fair dinkum,' I sez. ' Too right,' sez he. ' Broke to the wide. It's a shame what I could do with a binder.' So I slips him two ogg and ho was jake. ' You'll do me,' he sez.".