Show I Uow Rats Was Started I I WJjrerioslangphrasesoriginate Thousand Thou-sand of people habitually indulge in the use of slang without a thought or care a to the source from which the vulgar phrase came and often without the slightest idea 1 of its original meaning Doubtless many 1 of them are coined by minstrels and burlesque bur-lesque actors but I often the simplest incident inci-dent is responsible for expressions which j sweep over the country and have their uso in the months of gamin and the careless of i speech until superseded by some word equally as offensive j A few years ago a celebrated polo team was playing a match game in one of our I Massachusetts cities with a team from n I neighboring city The visiting team called j thE Star wore its name conspicuously embroidered j em-broidered on the breast of the shirt I As the game progressed it became evident evi-dent to the spectators that the rferee who was in sympathy with the visiting team was unfair in his decisions This caused I I great ill feeling especially as the members of the team were rough awl rowdyish In their behavior Suddenly as their conduct 1 > became more exasperating some one in the audience shouted Rats The cry was instantly taken up and throughout the remainderof the game the audience i I continued to apply it to the turbulent I players I Finally one of them unable to endure the slurring appellation any longer went to the man who had originated the cry and said j Why do you call us nits i You ought not to take exception to the nume replied the gentleman address ed You behave worse than rats and besides be-sides you wear the word on your breasts Spell tho name of your team backward Suro enough Star spelt backward could make no other word but rats I A large number of people from other states were in the rink at the time including includ-ing several visiting teams and thenceforth the word rats was taken up a an expression i ex-pression of contempt Boston Globe |