This Sort of Language Doesn't Wear Any Dictionary Harness, So It Has to
Be Put in a Class by Itself, and Made the Subject of Special Study.
One of the characteristics of the "yellow journal" is that while it
usually says what it means, it does not always mean just what it says. It
has a system of phraseology that is peculiar to itself, and one who would
read it intelligently must familiarize himself with the idiosyncrasies of
"yellow" expression. Some of these idiosyncrasies have been carefully
collected by the New York _Sun_:
PRETTY GIRL--Any unmarried human female less than thirty-five years old
who gets into the news.
SOCIETY MATRON--Any married woman, from a bartender's wife up through the
social grades, who gets into the news.
SOCIETY GIRL--Synonymous with "pretty girl." See above.
NOT EXPECTED TO RECOVER--Phrase applied to the condition of all persons
injured in course of news story.
PROMINENT YALE GRADUATE--Any one wearing a boiled shirt, arrested for
anything above a misdemeanor.
MULTIMILLIONAIRE--Person possessed of property worth fifty thousand
dollars or over, or a relative of a person listed in the _Social
Register_. Up to three years ago "millionaire" was used in the same sense.
THIRTY-TWO CALIBER, PEARL HANDLED--Phrase which must always be attached to
the noun "revolver," unless otherwise ordered.
TOT--Any child under seven. In a pathetic story the adjective "tiny" must
always be prefixed.
PLUCKY WOMAN--Any woman who did not scream.
HEROINE--Principal female character in any burglary story. Otherwise
synonymous with "plucky woman," q.v.
PROMINENT CLUBMAN--Any bachelor leasing apartments at thirty dollars a
month and upward. Also members of the Paul Kelley and Timothy D. Sullivan
associations who happen to be arrested while wearing dress suits.
FATALLY INJURED--See "not expected to recover," above.
FASHIONABLE APARTMENT HOUSE--Any dwelling which has an elevator.
TODDLE--Verb applied to the walk of a tiny tot. See under "tot" for
correct usage.
WELL DRESSED--Phrase always applied to a woman who, when arrested, is
comparatively clean. Must be used in a story about a prominent clubman,
q.v. as above.
SNUG SUM--Money.
RAFFLES--Any thief who wears a collar.
CRISP FIVE-DOLLAR BILL--Five dollars.
COZY.--Adjective always applied to home to which the remains are taken.
WUZ--Synonymous with "was," but indicates dialect.
HURLED--Motion of passengers, cars, and cabs at the time of the accident.
FAINT--Course taken by all the women within six blocks of the accident.
SCREAM--See "faint," above.
DASH--Gait of the crowd at the time of the accident. "Rush" is synonymous.
"Run" is not good usage.
HEIR--Child having three hundred dollars coming to him from a life
insurance policy.
RING OUT--What shots always do.
HURTLE--Verb used of motion of any falling object, especially a brick or a
suicide.
HAVOC--Good word to use almost anywhere.
HIGH--Adjective which must be prefixed to noun "noon" in the account of a
fashionable wedding.