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THE COMIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
| WORDS AND PHRASES. | WHAT DERIVED FROM. |
| To be done, | Cooks. |
| To be done brown, | Ditto. |
| A sell, (a cheat,) | Jews. |
| To lather (to beat,) | Barbers. |
| To strap (ditto,) | Cobblers. |
| To hide (ditto,) | Curriers. |
| Spicy (showy,) | Grocers. |
| To hang out (to dwell,) | Publicans. |
| Swamped (ruined,) | Watermen. |
| To put one's oar in (to interfere,) | Ditto. |
| Mahogany (for table,) | Upholsterers. |
| Dodge (trick,) | Pickpockets. |
| To bung up an eye, | Brewers. |
| To chalk down, | Publicans. |
| A close shaver (a miser,) | Barbers. |
| To be off your feed, | Ostlers. |
| Hold hard (stop.) | Omnibus-men. |
Numerous examples, similar to the foregoing, will, no doubt, present themselves, in addition, to the mind of the enlightened student. We have not, however, quite done yet with our remarks on this division of our subject. The intrinsic vulgarity of all modes of speech which may be traced to mean or disreputable persons, will, of course, not be questioned. But—and as we have got hold of a nice bone, we may as well get all the marrow we can out of it—the principle which is now under consideration has a much wider range than is apparent at first sight.
Now we will suppose a red-hot lover addressing the goddess of his idolatry—by the way, how strange it is, that these goddesses should be always having their
