Use of "Buckled" To Denote Arrest

[Stephen Thomas]

"Buckled, to be married, or to be taken into custody. Both uses of the word common and interchangeable among the London lower classes. "[/B]

Hi Archaic

I think the general meaning of the word is 'to be restrained/tied up' which would obviously be applied to criminals but I think that there are only two usages these days which involve doing up one's belt buckle and not crumbling under pressure.

All the best as always

[lynn cates]

slang

Hello Bunny. Nice to see you back. Hope you are well.

Thanks for posting that. Maybe a new slang thread soon?

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

fix

Hello Jon. Thanks for those. Regarding "fix" there is certainly a correct British use for it. As you recall, Dickens (I believe in his "American Notes") claimed it meant "to set in a definite place." Then he chastised the Americans for using it in all the wrong ways--"to repair"; "to serve as a side dish"; etc.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

American

Hello Beowulf. So you regard the term as American then?

Cheers.
LC

[Beowulf]

Hello Beowulf. So you regard the term as American then?

Cheers.
LC

Well, I'm not sure. I was simply putting this up there because of the antiquated definition as coming from the Dutch, thought it was interesting, and also because if it came from the Dutch, why then is it regarded as American, in the 1880s, except it was then used often over here, which I cannot say one way or another.

However, I know that when it comes to statements made about how Americans seem to, uh, 'not Americans', lol, it does seem that the public image is regarded as using slang and not much for proper English. Kind of the disrespectful, cocky American. I think maybe back then the same was the general public opinion of us, as to the reality of it, I have no idea.

But I can see a reporter trying to make the letter seem American by using words to fake people out.

Then again, maybe we do talk that way and I just don't see it. I sound like Tolkien's elves, they say both sides when you ask for an opinion. Sorry.

[lynn cates]

seems that way

Hello Beowulf.

"But I can see a reporter trying to make the letter seem American by using words to fake people out."

OK. This was the generally accepted idea--that the language was, or seemed, American.

Cheers.
LC

[Supe]

I think we underestimate the speed with which slang terms cross the Atlantic -- in both directions. This is particularly so when it is borne in mind that lexicographers seek the first usages of words in print and many words -- especially those of slang -- exist for a long time among the barely literate classes before gaining published currency.

In an article I wrote several years ago I pointed how, just a short time after the first "Jack the Ripper" letter an elderly New York spinster actually found a man under her bed during her ritual nightly check and went running into the street, in nightgown, screaming "Jack the Ripper, Jack the Ripper!!"

Granted, Jackie and his depredations were a special case, but I would still suggest slang terms and catch phrases crossed the Atlantic more rapidly than some academics would allow.

Don.

[Wickerman]

There were a handful of what we call Americanism's prevalent in East Anglia through the 17-18th century, one specific was "Boss". Some of these so-called Americanism's came from England to begin with.
I came across a few examples while researching Matthew Hopkins (Witchfinder General).

Regards, Jon S.

[lynn cates]

slang

Hello Don. You are probably right about the speed of passage. I note that, today, the OED is periodically absorbing portions of this.

Cheers.
LC

[Cogidubnus]

Many alleged "Americanisms" or North American usages actually represent the preservation in aspic of c16/17/18 English usages which have long since died out right pond..."Fall" for "Autumn" is a classic example...Right pond snobs will often cast aspersions on left pond usages without realising their origins...There is an excellent Bill Bryson tome ("Mother Tongue") on this very subject.

[Beowulf]

Hello Beowulf.

"But I can see a reporter trying to make the letter seem American by using words to fake people out."

OK. This was the generally accepted idea--that the language was, or seemed, American.

Cheers.
LC

But the question is, if the letter were written by a reporter trying to make the letter seem 'written by an American to fake people out' then that reporter would be trying to create the idea JTR was an American.

Why? To what advantage would it be to the press for JTR to be an American. I can understand that they did not like the idea of his being an Englishman, I can understand the idea that many would likely feel he were instead a foreigner, but to deliberately thwart the finding of the man?

Except, it just occurred to me, the papers would sell more? Which is not really all that different from the agenda behind SOME of the JTR books today, except that at that time the man was still alive and still a threat to the public.

[lynn cates]

Irish

Hello Beowulf. One idea I've played with is to emulate NOT just an American but an IRISH American. Bit of a stretch, however.

Cheers.
LC

[Beowulf]

Hello Beowulf. One idea I've played with is to emulate NOT just an American but an IRISH American. Bit of a stretch, however.

Cheers.
LC

But to what end?

[lynn cates]

big news

Hello Beowulf. Ah! a question to be asked.

What was the biggest news of that autumn--perhaps even bigger than the ripper?

Cheers.
LC

[K-453]

"Boss – The master or chief person in a shop or factory. This word, recently introduced to England from the United States, was originally used by the American working classes to avoid the word master – a word which was only employed to signify the relation between a slave-owner and his human chattel…."

All the Year Round, October 17, 1874

Found here (scroll down) http://www.victorianlondon.org/frame-words.htm