The Breitmann Ballads Part 31

Be-ghostet,(Ger. Begeistert) - Inspired.

Begifted, - Beschenkt - Gifted.

Begreifen,(Ger.) - Understand.

Beheaded, Behauptet,(Ger.) - a.s.serted.

Bei Leib und Leben,(Ger.) - By my body and soul.

Bekannt, Beknown - Known.

Bellin,(Ger. Bellen) - To bark.

Bemarket,(Ger.-Eng.) - Remarked.

Be-mark,(Ger. Bemarken) - Observe.

Bemarks,(Ger. Bemerkungen) - Remarks.

Bemerkbar,(Ger.) - Observable. Should be noticed.

Bemoost,(Ger.) - Mossgrown, in student's language, ein bemoostes Haupt, an old student.

Bender,(Amer.) - A spree; a frolic. To "go on a bender" - to go on a spree.

Be-raised - Raised, with the augment, literal for Ger. erhoben.

Berauscht,(Ger.) - Intoxicated.

Besoffen,(Ger.) - Drunk.

Bestimmung des Menschen - Vocation of Man, t.i.tle of one of Fichte's works.

Betaubend,(Ger.) - Enchanting.

Bewises,(Ger. Beweist, from Beweisen) - Proves.

Bibliothek - Library.

Bienenkorb,(Ger.) - Beehive.

Birra gazzosa,(Italian) - Aerated, gaseous beer.

Bischof,(Ger.) - Bishop.

Bix Buchse,(box) - Rifle. Bess in Brown Bess is the equivalent of the German Buchse, (Brown being merely an alliterative epithet;) French, buse tube; Flemish, buis. (Still found in blunderbuss, arquebuss.) See Blackley's "Word Gossip."

Blaetter,(Ger.) - Leaves.

Blei - Lead.

Blitz,(Ger.) - Lightning.

Blitzen,(Ger.) - Lightning.

Blokes,(English) - Men.

Bock - A strong kind of German beer.

Boemisch - Bohemian.

Boerenvolk,(Flem.) - Peasants.

Bole Jack road - Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Bool - Bull.

Bornirtheit - Limitedness of capacity.

Bouleverse - Boulevard.

Bountiee,(Amer.) - Bounty-money paid during the war as a premium to soldiers. To jump the bounty, was to secure the premium and then run away.

"This is the song of Billy Jones, Who jumped the boun-ti-ee."

- American Ballad of 1846.

Bowery - A street at New York, inhabited princ.i.p.ally by Germans.

Branntewein,(Ger.) - Spirits.

Brandy smash,(Amer.) - A plain half-gla.s.s mint julep of only sugar,ice, spirits, and mint. A regular julep is larger, and contains more ingredients.

Brav,(Ger.) - Good.

Breit,(Ger.) - Broad.

Bring it down to dots - Reduce it to figures.

Brisner - Prisoner.

Broosh-pinder - Brushbinder,(Ger. Buerstenbinder.) - Brushmaker. The brushmakers are supposed, probably on account of their throat-parching business, to be always thirsty.

Brummed - growled - (Ger. Brummen).

Brucke,(Ger.) - Bridge.

Bugs - In America all insects, especially Coleoptera.

b.u.mmer,(Amer.) - A fellow haunting low taverns; applied during the late civil war in the United States to hangers-on of the army. Probably a corruption of the German b.u.mmler(loafer).

b.u.mming - From b.u.mmer.

Bushwhackers - Guerillas.

Bust his sh.e.l.l - Broke his head.

b.u.t.terbrod,(Ger.) - b.u.t.tered bread.

By-Nearly; Beinahe - Almost, nearly.

Came - Game.

Camine - Chimney-piece.

Canyon,(Span. Canon) - A narrow pa.s.sage between high and precipitous banks, formed by mountains or tablelands, often with a river running beneath. These occur in the great Western prairies, New Mexico, and California.

Carmagnole - A wild street dance.

Carmosine,(Ger.) - Crimson. French, cramoisoi.

Carnadine - Incarnadine.

Change their lodge - s.h.i.+ft from one "society" to another.

Chroc, Chrocus, Crocus - An Alemannic leader, who overran Gaul, according to Gregory of Tours.

Chunk - A short thick piece of wood, or of anything else; a chump.

The word is provincial in England, and colloquial in the United States.

Cinder - Suende; sin.

Clam - The popular name of a bivalvular sh.e.l.l-fish, the Venus.

Clavier,(Ger.) - Piano.

Colle belle,(Ital.) - With the beauties.

Comedy - Committee.

Conradin - The last of the imperial house of the Hohenstaufen - beheaded at Naples in 1268.

Coot - (To cut) a dash, (to come out a "swell,") to dress extravagantly.

Corned,(Amer.) - Made drunk.

Coster - The inventor of the art of printing, according to the Dutch.

Crate - Great.

Crecian pend - When Breitmann says "Dat pend of the bow ish the Crecian pend," it is a rather eqivocal compliment.

"Grecian bend" has lately become a common newspaper expression. Smuggling done by women is called a "Case of Grecian bend." The present style of skirt, full at the back, is favourable to it.

Crislies - Grisly,(bear.)

Da ist er! Schau! - There he is! look!

Damit,(Ger.) - Therewith.

Dampfschiff - Steamboat.

Deck - A pack of cards, piled one upon another.

Demperanceler, Temperenzler - Temperance man.

Dessauerinn - A woman from Dessau.

Deutschland - Germany.

Die Hexe - The witch.

Die wile as mohte leben - During all its life.

Daz wolde er immer dienen Die wile es mohte leben.

- Kutrun. XV. Aventiure, 756th verse.

d.i.n.k - he, they think; my d.i.n.ks - my thoughts.

d.i.n.ked - he, they thought.

Dishtriputet - Instead of attributed.

Dissembulatin' - Dissembling.

Dissolfed - Instead of resolved.

D'lusion - Instead of allusion.

Donnered,(Ger.) - Thundered.

Donnerwetter,(Ger.) - Thunder and lightning.