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Show SOME BRITISH EUPHEMISMS. New York Tribune. The innumerable and curious euphemisms eu-phemisms for "mad" or "insane" must often have occurred to the reflective person. For instance, there is "balmy in the crumpet," or "barmy on the crumpet" barmy being derived from the term barm, signifying yeast. The conjunction of barmy and crumpet is now explained. To be frothy in the bead sounds quite as bad as having a spider in one's ceiling. Ugh! Tlien there are "a bit touched." "oft his rocker," rock-er," "off his onion," "off his nut," "off his chump," "a little bit off the top." "cracked" and "dotty." In America, we are told, it Is an everyday expression to say, "Sp-and-Po has a bubble in his think-tank." It suggests water on the brain. The hatter, who Is a twin type of madness mad-ness with the march hare, is really a smalt Australian squatter. A hatter is a small selector, who lives utterly alone in the bush, his hat, when on his bead, covering the whole of his family. Not seeing a human being for years, he either develops insanity or soon falls into the habit of holding viva voce con-: versations with himself. So the reputation reputa-tion of Lincoln and Bennett and the rest is saved for all time. - |