"IWARROWSKYIEIG."
[To TYE EDITOZ 07 TRH "srecriree."1 Si,—"All actors live in dread of ' marrowskyieg,' that curious transposition of syllables which illustrates the truth of the saying that from the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step." Such is the opening sentence of an article entitled " The Psychology of Marrowskying '" (" marrolvekying " in inverted commas in the original) which appeared in the British Medical Journal some time ago. Later on a eonv- spondent in Notes and Queries quoted the foregoing lines, and proceeded: "I am told that some thirty years ago it was a word in common use in the theatrical profession, and should be glad if any of your readers could give me an account of its origin." Notes and Queries replied : "Whatever the origin of the word may be, it appears to mean other things besides the actor's accidental transposition of syllables." Authorities were then quoted informing us that " marrow- skying " is synonymous with " medical Greek," i.e., the slang used by medical students at the hospitals (Barrere and Leland'e Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant, 1897, and II. Baumann's Londinismen). All this is very interesting, but it yields no information as to the fons of origo verbi. Perhaps some of your readers would kindly throw light on the etymology of the term. Examples of inarrowskying are legion, and many hate been fathered on the clergy (doubtless in compliment to a famous Oxonian), though few in Holy Orders will admit the paternity of "The twO hundred and twoty-tooth hymn" or "From Iceland's greasy mountains."•
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