THE WORD "CUSS"
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOT..") SIE,—Your correspondent, " An American," appears to me to be right as to the definition of the word " cuss." The simplest -definition is often the most correct; and we all know the fate of the man who derived " Latakhia" from "Laodicea." An -example from a modern American author will, I think, help us. -One of the heroes in "The Luck of Roaring Camp," speaking -of the way in which an infant (the hero of the story) clutched at his finger, observed, " rastled with it, the little cuss." Surely, • the vague use of the word " cuss " as an abbreviation for ' customer " by Americans is very much like our equally -vague use of the word "beggar,"—e.g., "Yon beggar, what did you do that for ?" Of course, I will not attempt to define the use of the very senseless English word ; possibly, those who fetch their definitions from afar might ascribe the word to our Protestant origin.—I am, Sir, Ize., Tymawr, Aberzwili, Carmarthen. A. WENTWORTH POWELL.
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