Selective Tendencies, etc.
not do it at all. It is an ugly phrase to be sure, but it is in perfect harmony with the social conditions where it is most in use.
Another and a better slang phrase of wider currency is, “he has made good,” meaning that he has succeeded—done what was expected of him; his conduct was not disappointing. It is used in still another sense: he has made good a loss; he has restored something—atoned for something. In this sense it is employed oftener perhaps in England than in America. Despite the ever-increasing social and business contact between New York and London, it is notable that the chasm between British and American colloquialisms shows slight signs of narrowing. “The cold shoulder,” “the marble (or frosty) mitt,” “I should worry,” “let George do it,” etc.; are rather ambiguous phrases in England—or were before the War; and their ambiguity is no reflection on English taste or quickness of comprehension.
The Baron Avebury in The Scenery of
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