Newman. You are our principal help. That is all. I told you at first I wanted you to help the Countess. You know that is a descriptive term in New England. Help is not a discreditable name—not at all derogatory. There is nothing degrading in helping, is there?

Doolittle. Why-no-I believe there an't. You now begin to seem rational, and I'll make up with you.-D. Humphreys, The Yankee in England, Act I. HOUSE-HUNTING. In the city of New York all houses are let from the 1st day of May, and the landlords have assumed to themselves the right of requiring from their tenants a decision, as to whether they will keep their houses or not, three months before the period for which they hired them expires. On those houses which are not hired for another term (usually a year) "bills" are put up by the landlords, signifying that they are to let. Persons who intend to "move," traverse that section of the city in which they desire to establish themselves, in search of a suitable house, in which search they are guided by the landlord's "bills." This is called house-hunting, and is practised by thousands every year in the city of New York.

Polly began to grow uneasy now, because we hadn't got no house, and said I ought to go a house-hunting as everybody else did, or else we should be turn'd out of doors.--Maj. Downing, May-day in New York.

HOW FARE YOU? This is a common expression in those parts of New England for 'How do you do?' It is pronounced short, as, How fa' ye?'

Newman. What, come back so soon? How fare you, Doolittle?

Doolittle. Cleverly. Steady, pretty steady, and quite chirk again; I thank you.-D. Humphreys, The Yankee in England.

HUM, for home, common in New England.

Well, well, I know it now-hum is hum, be it ever so humbly.' I am desperd sick of being in strange parts. I wish I was at hum agin, under mother's own ruff, I guess-I know I do.-D. Humphreys, The Yankee in England.

HURRYMENT. Hurry; confusion.

I always hate to kiss old women what hain't got no teeth, and I was monstrous glad old Miss Stallins had her handkerchief to her face, for in the hurryment I kissed it.-Maj. Jones's Travels.

26

I.

IN, for into. Mr. Coleman, in remarking upon the prevalence of this inaccuracy in New York, says: "We get in the stage, and have the rheumatism into our knees."-N. Y. Evening Post, Jan. 6, 1814. An observing English friend at Philadelphia also speaks of its frequent use there in the following terms: "The preposition into is almost unknown here. They say, 'When did you come in town?' I met him riding in town." "---Pickering.

INDIAN SUMMER. A period of warm weather late in autumn, when, it is said, the Indians go hunting to supply themselves with the flesh of wild animals for provisions in the winter.-Webster.

JOHNNY-CAKE.

milk or water.

J.

A cake made of Indian meal mixed with A New England Johnny-cake is invariably spread upon the stave of a barrel-top, and baked before the fire. Sometimes stewed pumpkin is mixed with it.

Some talk of hoe-cake, fair Virginia's pride,

Rich Johnny-cake this mouth has often tried.

Both please me well, their virtues much the same;

Alike their fabric, as allied their fame,

Except in dear New England, where the last

Receives a dash of pumpkin in the paste.--Joel Barlow, Poem on Hasty Pudding.

K.

KEYSTONE STATE. The State of Pennsylvania. So called from its being the central State of the Union at the time of the formation of the Constitution.

KILL. (Dutch kil.) A channel, or arm of the sea; a stream;

river. This Dutch appellation is still preserved in several instances; thus the channel that separates Staten Island from

Bergen Neck, is called the Kills; to which we may add the names Schuylkill and Catskill, applied to streams.

KILLIFISH. (Genus fundulus.) A small fish found in the

salt water creeks and bays, from one to five inches in length. It is only used for bait for larger fish. The name is Dutch from kill, a channel or creek (which see), where the fish is only found. They are often called killies.

KISS-ME-QUICK. A homemade quilted bonnet which does

not extend beyond the face. They are chiefly used to cover the head by ladies when going to parties, or the theatre. KIT. The whole kit. An expression common in various parts of the country.

The clymit seems to me jest like a teapot made o' pewter

Our Prudence had, that wouldn't pour (all she could do) to suit her;
Fust place the leaves would choke the spout, so's not a drop would
dreen out,

Then Prude would tip, and tip, and tip till the whole kit bust clean out,
The kiver-hinge-pin bein lost, tea leaves, and tea, and kiver

Would all come down kerswosh! as though the dam broke in a river.-
Poetical Epistle from a Volunteer.

L.

TO LINE. To fish with a line. So, to seine, i. e. to fish with a seine. I have never seen these words used except by Dr. J. V. C. Smith, in his History of the Fishes of Massachusetts; and for so interesting a book the Doctor is well entitled to the privilege of coining a phrase or two.

The squeteague is taken both by lining and seining, and because it makes such feeble exertion and resistance, in being drawn in by a hook, it has received the appellation of weak fish.—Fishes of Massachusetts. LINES. The reins, or that part of the bridle which extends from the horse's head to the hands of the driver or coachman. LITTLE END OF THE HORN. To come out at the little end of the horn,' is said when a ridiculously small effect has been produced after great effort and much boasting. LOAFER. The origin of this word is altogether uncertain.

Two etymologies have been suggested for it, viz. the German

laufer, a runner; and the Spanish gallofo (whence the Ital. gagloffo,) a wandering mendicant; a vagabond.

TO LOGICIZE. To reason.

And I give the preliminary view of the reason; because, since this is the faculty which reasons or logicizes, &c.-Tappan's Elements of Logic, Preface, p. 5.

M.

TO MAKE ONESELF SCARCE, is to leave; to go away. ME, for I. The objective case of pronouns is often used for the nominative by the illiterate. In New York it is very common to hear such choice expressions as 'Me and him went to the play last night.'

METAPHENOMENA. The primordial facts of our being, which, although known by necessity of reason to exist, are not the immediate objects of consciousness.-Tappan. METAPHENOMENAL. Relating to metaphenomena.

The immediate objects of our consciousness are phenomena, and these only are phenomenal; while those objects which, by supposition, lie beyond immediate consciousness, are metaphenominal.—Tappan's Elements of Logic, p. 12.

MOOSE-YARD. In the State of Maine, an area in which moose tread down the deep snow in winter.

N.

NIGH UPON. Nearly; almost.

I got your letter and razor-strap. It's a complete strap as you ever see; and as soon as it was known about here that I had received it, nigh upon all our folks have been sendin' to borrow it.-Maj. Downing, Letter 27. NOMOLOGY. That branch of philosophy which treats of law in general.

This at once introduces us to the Doctrine of Law or Nomology, which is the second grand division of philosophy.-Tappan's Elements of Logic. NOMOLOGICAL. Relating to nomology.

The observations of the senses yield us only limited successions and recurrences of phenomena. These have antecedence in the order of time. But Law, eternal, absolute, and universal, has antecedence in the order of necessary existence, and is an idea of the Reason. It is the Idea of Ideas under the nomological conception.-Ibid.

0.

OLD DOMINION. The State of Virginia.

OUTSIDER. A term of recent origin among politicians, applied to persons belonging to parties unconnected with the two great leading political divisions of the country, Locofocos and Whigs. The term was first used in the Baltimore Convention in May, 1848, when a leading politician stigmatized that portion of the Democratic party known as the Barnburners, as outsiders, classing them among the Abolitionists, Agrarians, Native Americans, etc.

With the outsiders of all descriptions, Barnburners, and everybody else with a spark of independent patriotism, the nomination of General Taylor is equally a cause of delight. All the Whig papers give in readily, manfully, and sincerely.-N. Y. Mirror, June 10, 1848.

Why do we find the outsiders of all creation-Tylerites, nullifiers, Locofocos, and no-party men-going in with such a rush for General Taylor? It looks odd that the Journal of Commerce, Herald, Sun, etc., should become so enamored all at once of a straight-forward Whig, as to urge his election to the Presidency!-N. Y. Tribune.

OUT AND OUT. Thorough.

Henry Clay is such a statesman as the country wanted. We want a long tried, well known, universally understood, undeniable, straight-forward, out and out Whig.—Mr. Fowler's Speech at the Clay meeting in New York, June 2, 1848.

TO PARMATEER.

P.

To electioneer; evidently a corruption of parliamenteer, to electioneer for a seat in parliament. This term is very common in the State of Rhode Island, beyond which I think it does not extend.

TO PETTIFOG. To play the pettifogger.-Johnson. This old verb has just been revived by political writers.

On Saturday evening Gen. Cass reached this city from New York. Persons were sent about to drum up a crowd; but free white men could not be found or hired, to welcome the embodiment of slavery-propagandism. The thing was a dead failure. When Mr. Peckham, who has pettifogged