EXAGGERATIONS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3259, 12 December 1881, Page 4

EXAGGERATIONS.

(From Chambers's Journal.) Nothing is more characteristic of the present ago than the tendency to exaggeration of language -which prevails aaaong all classes. The equivalents for the adverb ' very,' in the form of 'awfully,' ' fearfully,' 'tremendously, &c, have become so common in the course of ordinary conversation that they are scarcely looked upon as slang now, and are uttered freely, even by the educated of both sexes, without a moment's appreciation of their true depth of meaning. Sometimes this peculiar phrase of expression takes another form, converse as to its application, but precisely the same in effect— that is, a ridiculous diminuation or understatement of magnitude. Thus, we hear ' a few,' 'rather,' ' sllightly,' 'somewhat,' &c, used to denote an amount for which tho strongest terms would be appropriate. Many of these sayings are of transatlantic origin, the dry humor of our cousins abounding in like phrases. Although such extravagances of expression and idea aro deliberately and palpably untrue, they are so obviously employed without any intention to deceive, that they may be considered blameless of the pernicious aspects of a commonplace falsehood. For instance, when Artemus Ward tells us that on his recovery from fever that he was so thin that, standing sidewise ho could not be seen at all, and that you might have cleaned the stem of a tobacco-pipe with cither of his legs, he certainly docs not mean us to believe that his emaciation had actually reached that painful extent. So too, Dickens, in his preface to Barnaby Rudge, describing one of the two living originals from which the raven Grip was drawn, can scarcely intend that we should accept literally the statement that tho bird ate a staircase, consisting of six wooden steps and a landing, before succumbing to a pound of whitelcad taken internally. ' You might have heard a pin drop,' is a tolerably strong expression in itself, frequently used in speaking of a sudden silence among a multitude of people ; but the assertion that in a crowded hall at a critical moment the stillness was so perfect that ' the accidental dropping of a pin reverberated like thunder,' goes further. And the nigger must have been black indeed, upon whoso skin charcoal made a white mark. ' An American had been bragging for sometime in a public bar-room of various marvellous feats of swimming which he had witnessed or performed ; when an Englishman, who had listened in silent incredulity, bethought himself that ho would

defeat, or try to defeat the boastful ' Colonel' with his own weapons. The old country, he considered was able to beat the new in anything—even at fibs —if her sons tried ; so he suddenly spoke up. 1 Well, yes, Colonel,' struck in the Britisher, ' those were big swims, I admit, that you say you've seen ; but I've known one that beats all yours hollow. Two years ago, I started from Liverpool for New York in one of the Cunard boats. There was a little excitement and commotion on the wharf at leaving, and a man dived into tho water ; but wo took no particular heed of it. Next morning, we remembered it, though, for, sure enough there was a man swimming abreast of us at the rate of fifteen knots an hour. We called out to him, and heaved him a rope, bub he refused all assistance. At night of course, we lost sight of him ; but when the sun rose there he was again, striking out as lively as possible. And so he stood by us all the way across, sometimes diving under our keel and coming up on the other side ; sometimes playing round us like a dolphin, now on his back now on his side ; now turning over heels, wheel-fashion. But about two hours before we reached Sew York, ho began to forge ahead, and soon distanced us altogether ; and when we got alongside, we found him standing on tho quay, dressed to receive us.' The Yankee had eyed the speaker fixedly during his narration. ' That's a true yarn, I s'pbse, stranger ?' lie said interrogatively. ' (if yes, quito true ; I saw it myself,' was the reply. ' You saw that man swim across from Liverpool to New York alongside yer steamer all tho way ?' ' Exactly.' 'Stranger did yer know that man ?' ' Well, no,' answered the Englishman cautiously ; ' I didn't know him, but I saw him nevertheless. ' Stranger, I was that man !'