On New Words

Sir, I doubt not, as you appear to be a very intelligent person, that you have observed there is a set of beings in this metropolis, without any characters whatever: they are a kind of amphibious animals, between fools and wits, fops and slovens, rakes and enthusiasts. They have not the invention to form any opinions of their own, and are the mere echoes of coffee-houses, news-papers, and play-houses. No sooner does Foote give us a bon mot at the Hay-market, but it is hackneyed upon every occasion, or indeed without any occasion, by these animals in all quarters of the town. Does an anecdote of any celebrated person transpire through the news-papers, it serves them for conversation for a week. Your Magazine is an ample field for them for the whole month, and every coffee-house in London re-echoes with your tête-à-têtes and oddities, till the first day of the appearance of a fresh number. These gentlemen can feed upon a pun from London to Canterbury, and a new word is ammunition for them for a twelvemonth.

Perhaps some of your readers may not know what I mean by a new word. When any popular character has hazarded in either of the houses, or in print, a word that has never before been introduced in conversation, or but seldom used in the sense he places it, this word becomes fashionable, and supplies the place of wit, reasoning, or signification. For instance, a long while every thing was immense great and immense little, immense handsome and immense ugly. Miss Tippet from the cloisters, could not drink tea with Master Parchment at the White Conduit-house, unless it was an immense fine day, yet probably it might rain so immense, there was no going without a coach. Then we were hum'd and humbugg'd upon every occasion; the Gazetteer humbugg'd us into a war, and the French humbugg'd us into a peace. Anon, every thing was the barber: if even a chimney-sweeper ran against a decent person, he was the barber; the barber presently turned into the shaver, and we were trimmed by the shaver from St. James's to Wapping. Now we are flabbergasted and bored from morning to night-in the senate, at Cox's museum, at Ranelagh, and even at church. What renders the ridicule still stronger, is, that it is adopted by persons of sense and learning, and a man who has quitted the capital but for a few months, upon his return having lost the polite phraseology, must have a supporter to stand by him, and keep him in countenance, for talking common sense.

I beg, Mr. Editor, that you will exert all your influence, to extirpate the race of insignificants I have pointed out, and to expose the folly of giving the preference to any particular word in conversation, especially when it is barbarous in sound, and does not communicate any precise meaning. You will certainly persuade people of understanding to discontinue so ridiculous a practice, and when none but fools and witlings support it, they will be the heralds of their own folly, and it will be a certain badge of their ignorance.

The success you have already had, in hanging up in wood, that insignificant character a macaroni, is a happy presage of accomplishing your design in the undertaking I have now pointed out to you.

I am, Sir, your's, &c.
OBSERVATOR