Show SAVANT AVERS CAVE MAN STARTED SLANG professor tells where the words originated los angeles modern slang and colorful ways of saying things have come directly down to us from fighting pioneering farming and hunting ancestors when we speak we reanimate the age of chivalry the cave man civilization pioneer life the common pion arts and crafts the days of the horse lad and of knuckle and skull the origins of thousands of figures of speech many of them familiar ilar like back biting in the clover take it on the chin and sworn enemy were wera given by dr william clawley davis stanford english professor before the philological association of the pacific coast here doctor davis urged the use of figures of speech both in written and spoken language declaring alj that at it contributes much to the force and color of verbal communication it Is one of the secrets of good talking A cave man expression ba back ck biting he asserted was added to the language during cave man civilization in the clover came from the farm take it on the chin derives from primitive fist fighting and sworn enemy la Is a living relic of days of chivalry supplementing the figures of speech used in everyday life doctor davis made the following classifications ficat ions age of chivalry buckle on your armor couch your spear back on his haunches enter the lists caveman cave man civilization back scratching pits of their own digging cutthroat cut throat competition knuckle and skull fighting tooth and toe nail gouging between the eyes knockouts knockout throw up the sponge the army headquarters on parade face the music rogues march turn turncoat coaL some horsy slang the days of the horses prance pace gallop trot bridle your finger anger kick over the traces look a gift horse lo in the mouth from the farm sow find and reap tend garner glean lame duck duck a blow cock of the walk eggs in one basket upsetting the applecart firearms quick on the trigger hash flash in the pan go oft off with a bang hit bit the bulls eye fighting in general shot his bolt two edged sword draw a long bow gang up tip on from pioneer alfe ufe stump the state in the clear our neck of the woods die with his bis boots on liang hang for a sheep as well as for a lamb have him over a barrel bring home home the bacon the whole shooting match the wolf nt at the door from the common arts and crafts grist of his bis mill warp and woof shuttle back and forth peg away italian settlers take up reclaimed land Lit torla italy of pens peasants ailts arrive here every month and thousands of these hardy farm hands start life afresh in this city which was once the center of the now reclaimed marshes here at least there la Is no depres slon these rugged folk come from the most varied points of the peninsula and their one wish Is ti to till the soil sell the vast expanses expanses expanse i of the reclaimed marshes today make their life dream come true veteran farmers stand at attention and mechanically click their heels together before uttering a monosyllable A good many lately havo have been coining from the friuli region property Is so subdivided and scarce there and so thickly populated that lots jots destined for farm sharing often measure less than a hectare hence bence they become wanderers in search of work a almost gypsy farmers the ex exi i pediment perl peri ment Is curing the disease men al are falling failing in love again witt with thad their soil their plow and oxen |