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S I r p b n p e j; j, is .. fe j j . r T v , . 1 ; j 1 , ; 1 j ; i , ; i i . ! i SLANG OF THE RACE TRACK Picturesque Words and Sayings That Express a Meaning All Their Own. i The English is a rich language, but it does not seem rich enough for the, average person-of today to get along Avith. The Avords to be found in the dictionary apparently are not sufficient, therefore slang words and phrases have been called into service. Sports of various kinds have found it necessary to supplement it Avith a jargon of their own. There is baseball slang, and there the English of the paddock and the track. To the race track Ave are indebted for the birth of many pharses and sayings, used now in everyday life, picturesaue Avords that express meanings all their own. The use of the Avord "lobster" to express extreme slowness was first heard on the race tracks, and was applied to a horse showing little or no speed in a contest. Later it Avas used to express contempt for some other person. A spendthrift or unsophisticated persons Avere generally referred to as "lobsters." What more expressive bit of slang can be imagined than "cinch," a word used on the race track and intended to convey to the mind that a certain horse is a sure or easy : "winner; something done or obtained without difficulty as to have a cinch on a thing. The Avord is derived from the Spanish cincha and the French cingere. The expression of "lead pipe cinch" is intended to convey an eAen stronger conviction, and is applied in the case of a supposed absolute certainty, for instance, when your informant declares that a certain horse "cant lose unless he falls and breaks a leg," than you have a "lead pipe cinch." Just why lead pipe should be used as a prefix to cinch has always been a mystery. The Avord "dope" is to be found in the dictionary,- and is derived from the Dutch "doop," meaning a dipping, and the French "doopen,? signifying "to dip." In race track parlance the word dope, used as a verp, means to administer a stimulant to a horse to increase his speed ; to judge or guess ; to predict the result of, as by the aid of dope. Dope is also used as a noun and signifies any preparation to stimulate. The word is also used as indicating the record of the horses past performances and the judgment based on them. DERIVATION OF WORD DOPESTER. From dope Ave get the Avord "dopester," meaning one Avho predicts the result of a race, Avith the aid of dope. . Much uncertainty surrounds the origin cf the Avord "welsher," used on the race track to describe a person Avho bets or receives money to be bet and absconds Avithout paying his losses, or returning the money intrusted to him. The Avord came into use in England many years ago and was generally applied to defaulting bookmakers on the race track. Some Avriters claim the Avord Avas first applied to an absconding bookmaker named Welsh, Avhile others insist it sprang originally from the old nursery rhyme ; "Tafly was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief, Taffy came to my house ad stole a leg of beef." ; The expression "tincanned" signifies that a horse has won Ayith .ease. It originated about twenty eyars ago, from the practice of rattling tin pans as the horses in a race turned into the home stretch, and making all possible noise so that a certain horse would run faster. Monk Wayman, OAvned by Mose Goldblatt, is said to be the original tincan horse. It is said of his that the noise of the tin cans Avould make him increase his speed, and often resulted in his Avinning a race. This practice, has long, since been discontinr ued, but the slang phrase that it produced still remains. A "cheap skate" originated at the old Gut-tenburg track in New Jersey and Avas intended to signify an ordinary race horse. The skate, a fish with -a shape something like a barn door, is held responsible for this bit of slang. NOT TO BE TRANSLATED LITE RALLY Some of the expressions heard on the race track must not be translated literally by the novice. For instance, Avhen you hear that a horse "went up in the air" dont suppose that he is an aviator, or that he turned completely around just as an acrobat does Avhen you are told that he "turned a form somersault." The last phrase means simply that the animal showed inconsistency, or that he raced in a manner that Avas in marked contrast to his other races. And Avhen you are told that a horse "hugged the rail" dont be deluded Avith the idea that he actually embraced the rail. All he did Avas to race close to the inner fence to save as much ground as possible. When a horse "takes the overland route" he runs on the outside of the track, or has to go around the other horses in the race. When the jockey has his mount under restraint the animal in track jargon is "under Avraps." When the owner or trainer of a horse did not Avant him to Avin, the animal Avas said to be "out for an airing." When the horse is backed to Avin he was said to be "Avell meant," and Avhen a horses chances Avere considered hopeless he Avas said to not "have a look in." The term "walk over", originated at the race track. It Avas used Avhen a horse had no competitor in a race. He simply Avalked or galloped over the course, hence the expres-. sion, now used to designate any condition Avhere there is .no .competition. The Avord "hedge" is largely a" product of the trotting .tracks,, but which is also used at the running tracks. It means an act intended to secure ones self from loss on one bet by making others to minimize chances of losing.
