Big Bugs

[1st OVHA]

"People of consequence. 'Then we'll go to the Lord's house -- I don't mean to the meetin- house, but where the nobles meet, pick out the big bugs, and see what sort o' stuff they're made of.' -- Sam Slick in England, ch. 24.
'These preachers dress like big bugs, and go ridin' about on hundred-dollar horses, a-spungin' poor priest-ridden folks, and a-eaten chicken-fixens so powerful fast that chickens has got scarce in these diggins.' -- Carlton's New Purchase, Vol. II. p. 140
'The free-and-easy manner in which the hair-brained Sir Robert Peel described some of the big bugs at Moscow has got him into difficulty.' N.Y. Times, February, 1857.
'Miss Samson Savage is one of the big bugs -- that is, she's got more money than a'most anybody else in town. ' -- Bedott Papers, p. 301."

p. 31 Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, 1859. One of the things I like about Bartlett is that he includes examples of usage, in most cases.

 

[donna]

I need to get Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms. It is good he includes examples.

In "The Language of the Civil War", the author states "big bug" is a slang name for an important person, especially a general or powerful politician. The older British name, "big wig" was also used and would be the only form to survive."

From the Language of the Civil War by John D. Wright page 28.

I like yours better.

 

[1st OVHA]

I need to get Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms. It is good he includes examples.

You don't need to get it, it's online FREE here. This is the 1859 edition, so it's immediately pre-war. When the term is regional, he includes what region of the country it's most commonly heard. When he can he'll include etymologies of the word as well. One of the cool things is, since it's period even if the etymology is wrong, or earlier sources have been found, it is an error made in the US at the time of the war. That's what I like about primary sources, even though they may be wrong, they're wrong in a period sense, whereas when secondary sources are wrong, they're wrong in a modern sense, if that made sense.
BTW, if you do wind up buying a copy of Bartlett's make sure you get a period edition. There are editions of his book from the 1840s through 1877, I believe. So if you're going to buy it make sure you get either the 1859 or 1860 edition.

 

[1st OVHA]

Also, there is another book from 1872 that picks up a lot of Civil War terms that Bartlett misses having published earlier. The main thing is to watch out for words that originated between post war and 1872. The book is Americanisms: the English of the New World by Maximilian Schele de Vere. Again, both books are online and FREE at the links provided. Have fun!