1958-05-24 — Page 16

THE CHINA MAIL,

PIDGIN LANGUAGES Sensations Of Sports No. 1

Robert Wallace

Boy

Thompson

All over East Asia this word is used by Europeans in the

sense of servant. According to Hobson Jobson i was once used in this way in Jamaica and other West Indian

islands. I

have not heard it so used in the West Incles, although house- boy" as in general English does exist. Howe-boys. however, In those are exceedingly parts.

rare

As boy in Anglo-Indian could be applied to servants of all ages became necesary to distin- guish in language between boy us a member of a cocial class

and biologleaf boy, China Coast Pidgin solved this problem by calling the latter

smallo-bay.

In older pidgin bulto-chllo (from bull-child!) was niso used. The place of moto in Anglo-Indian and Indo-Portuguese was probe ably taken early by boy which in the latter dialect existed until recently with the meaning of 'palanquim-bearer; one who carries an umbrella' or 'menial.

The fight Ended

If you searched every gymnasium from Tonypandy to

an

SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1968.

By John Cottrell

that Era

Then to the crowd's astonish- whistled, and stamped on. they Timbuktu you would not find two boxers less alike ment one of Siki's wild blows awalted the official verdict. But Tended on the target. It was a they were dug for another shock than Georges Carpentier and Buttling Siki, They were blow which would change the on that Sunday of, surprises. of different temperament and colour, with ne much in coure of boxing history -- a Over the loudspeakers camo 'common as a nuclear fission bomb and a sledge-hammer. highly unorthodox right which the announcement which for a 'the' excited Carpentier was the kio of all France, strikingly exploded on Carpentler's jaw. moment stilled

The champion went down. gathering into Incredulous Siki was from the wilds of Senegal, a fierce and reckless punch that he forgot to take advantage, handsome, a supreme craftsman in the ring.

jllence. Siki was, not the win- darpeniler was so surprised ner, after all. The referee had slinger, devoid of style and finesse.

And yet, by a weird match five or six rounds. Money for Inaking manoeuvre, Carpenter Jamt and Siki were put together in the Bane ring on Sunday, Septem- 24, 1922-to fight for the light heavyweight championship the world.

their

of

That's how it seemed. But it turned out very differently on that fateful Sunday afternoon in Paris.

Avalanche

▸

Не

of the count and sprang back on his feet at the count of two Siki was equally surprised-to learn that his famous opponent

was not invincible after all.

disqualified him for tripping.

That did it. The, howling- mad crowd murged around the

referee ring, screaming for justice. The was assaulted. It) was more than an budur befor the

Ill-equipped

Page

Georges-Corpentier, tha idol of Paris, receives a stinging loft to the jaw from a "}

hall-scared, half-crazed Battling Siki.

did extraordinary capacity for taks his fighting in gaming housea, ing punishment. saloons, and cafes, and he began The stubborn and arrogant to spend more time in prison African just could not realize cells than in the ring.

that he was a fighter without There in legend that he any boxing skill. His ego. I oned bought a leopard, took the seems, was unshakable, and as a beast on a taxi tour of Paris, result he went on taking terrible and terrorised "hundreds of boatings-in and out of the ring. people in a dance hall. Both Sik and the leopard ended up behind bars.

Carpentier now attacked with rioting fans could be brought lls famous straight right, but under control, Despite the pre-fight gentle- was overwhelmed by a furious- Then they were only, silenced Carpentier and Siki. For the man's agreement, Battling Siki avalanche

second announcentent- of punches as Sixt by a was a frightened animal when came in swinging.

that the judges kod rescinded fight internay the match was a mixture of caviar and rice, he stepped into the ring,

By round

the cham- the referee's decision and had by a knock-out in the first went. The new champion three They were faintly repelled by was over-ewed by the great plon's stamina was beginning to declared Siki the winner on • a

round. Instead, ho was pul- the combination, but were will- Carpentier's reputation; he knew fail and he was wishing he had technical knock-out

verised by a half-crazy op- out of his trained for the fight. ing to pay Just to savour the he was completely

A right

ponent and paid the penalty for caviar.

class. As for the champlon, he hook floored the coloured man,

being partner to an attempt to They hnd

was su confident that he had but Siki rose almost immediate- money's

fix a fight. worth. For this farcical match not troubled to train for the ly, swung three heavy blows to

By all available evience, this produced what must surely be bout

the jaw, ond sent Carpentier Was the right decision. Car-

Siki pald the penalty, too. the most shattering and ecnsa-

down for a short count.

pentier had indeed been tripped For that unexpected victory tional dish in the history of

By round five the most hand- in the sixth round, bat at the marked, the beginning of his Hsticuffs. And it ended the

some face in boxing.was beyond, some time bis manager had downfall. Overnight, the grin carcer of one of the greatest

Carpentier was thrown in the towel. Apparent- ning, gesticulating, and simple This so predictable clash took recognition. champions of all time.

Yet it was a fight that nobody place at the Velodrome Buflar, bleeding at the mouth, from the ly the referee had not seen this minded African became the idol really wanted. Siki was scared Paris, and every Frenchman in nose, and around his right ere. gesture; but the crowd certainly of the boulevards, and the adoration the vast area was shouting for But he held on gamaly, with the dla..

Sikl came out of slender hope that one mighty

turned his head. Carpentier was not interested, Carpentier.

Thus, Battling Siki, with his SIKI, former dishwasher, Soon Siki became so notorious

The stubborn Siki refused to but he wanted to answer the his corner with fear in his eyes, right-hander would save his

rudimentary, knowledge of box walter, around the title.

circus clawn, and a truble-maker that he was French critics who complained backing nervously

name his assailants. And abr But he never had the chance ing, became that

light-heavyweight restaurant their champlon had not ring us Georges, nonchalent and

"bouncer" was ill forced to leave France. He chose months after the knifing in- of the world. And equipped for the glitter and to settle in New York, where he cident, the 29-year-old Wildcat tought in Paris for three years. contemptuous, prodded his man te land it. In round six, 1 champion

shattering right hook sent Car- the fight, which was meant to galety of Paris., Ho was quick- Bin, Gorgeous Georges, rated with neatly planted letts.

mixd with the dregs of society of the ring was found lying in to the floor, be "Axed", brought down farce bad pentier crushing Act One of the

the ly transformed into a braggart in a slum district called "Hell's the same. gutter with bullet Becond to the world heavy-

The idol of France was down-curtain on the international and a bully. begun.

Kitchen." weight champlon, Jack Demp-

and knife wounds in his "bock, The dusky West Aclean was and out.

championship career of the be- He was a heavy drinker (It By this time Siki had lost his

The Savage from: Senegal had soy, Was not one to risk the

Ski's newly-won admirers loved Georges Carpentler. is said that he trained on three world tille to Mike McTigue in died as violently as he had title which he had wrested from so scared that his knees

to their Carpentier has repsonably bottles of cognac'a day) and he Dublin. He continued

lived. to get the time-worn Battling Levin- knocking, and once he went to hoisted the victor on

being shoulders; the crowd cheered, claimed that he could have won stirred up trouble wherever ho, fights, but only because of his

ENDS sky two years ago earlier. So the canvas without even

crowd howled for 5!ki was selected as the lenst hit. The

all possible connore action, menacing of tenders.

stiff, but he needed the mouey,

1

Agreement

were

I notice French residents in Hongkong using boy in on otherwise French conversation and there is documentary evid ence of lis use in French authors

Round two, and Bettling Siki of one hundred yours ngʊ,

went down again, this time for Hobson Jabeon publishes the

a count of six. Everything was following as an early example

going according to plan - of the use of boy in the East:

or so it seemed. But then, un- "I brought of them

Por-

I was too much to expect fortunately, Carpentier mis tugall Boy (which the Holland-

Siki to be a willing victim in Judged one of his punches. "He ers had given unto the King)

this "exhibition" of Carpentier's hit Siki just a litle too hard, me fortle Ove ... He cost

all-round Astic brilliance. The Hurt by the blow and brzita=" dollars." Keeliner, 1000, in French West African had won led by the crowd's jeering, Siki Purchas 1, page 196,

the Croix de Guerre and the was seized by a fanatical hatred. Legion of Honour in the 1914-18 war. But there is a limit to human courage,

In letters from Madrna the satirist remarks that "the real Indian ladies lle on a sofa, and if they drop their handkerchief, they just lower their voices and say Bart in a very gentle tone. The word is used in the samo senso in Trevelym, The Dawk Bungalow, 1800, page 220; "Yes Sahib, I Christian Boy. Plenty poojah do. Sunday time no work do."

Captain

never

Head waiter. The Pidgin form cab-tun is well documented. This word may be "reinforced" by the Portuguese form which has in general a wider application than the English, hence, for example, Japanese kapitan, ship's captain, leader of a company of work- men. Expressions showing strong Lusitanian influence such as Captain Mor (or More) were: once common in Anglo-Indien."

Cumquat

Sometimes spelt cumquot us in labeon Jobson where it is defined as the fruit of Cileun Japonics, a miniature orange which is often preserved for export. This is a straight Can- tonese loan. In writing it is re- characters presented by the

kin kn.

Ginjal

In

This word and its many vari- ants seems to bo obsoleto modern Hongkong, its place, In our day, being taken by stirling- guns, greener-guns and H-bombs. It is the Anglo-Indian swivel or wall-plece, janjal in Hindi. Yule and Bummell derive it from Arabic Jaza'il, In Elphinstone, Life, 1818, we read that in an

four Européans, engagement were wounded la spite of their matchlocks and gingxis,

Dyer Ball' in Things Chinese, 1000 page 38, defines Gingais or Jinkals "us" "long tapering guns, alx to fourteen feet in length borne on the shoulders of two men and fred by a third. They have a stand or tripod re- minding one of a telescope

Griffin

At one, time a new arrival; in Hongkong, was a grisla na in other parts of the East, pecially. In India, This was a synonym for Johnny Nowcome who as a rule went West, and in every Mense

There is no satisfactory etymology for this word. Hob 2012 Jebaon says there was an Admiral Grimin who commanded in the Indian suas from Nov. 1740 to June 1748, and was not very fortunate. Had his name to do with the origin of the ların?!! -

It has also been suggested that

3

thSE, TARTAN (Was used for R/TRW/ Walasash Ini ogland during the seventeenth century,

the

He forgot his agreement to throw the fight. He forgot his opponent was light-heavyweight champion of the world. With savage fury he tore into astonished Carpentlar hurling punches anywhere, and every- feasible film. Slk where would get a small percentage of the profits.

So the fight was fixed. And was agreed that it should last 1 least four rounds to enable a newsreel frm to make a com- mercially

Carpentier had

of

For Siki, it was the law the jungle kill or be killed— generously and he pursued the champion agreed to pull his punches; Siki, with homicidal intent. There im return, would take a few was no method in his madness; [dives to the canvas, finally foli- this was the desperate rally of

ing for a fake knock-out after man, half-scared,, half-crazed.

WEEKEND Friell

CASH

FOR WAGES

"I hope you people realise you are wrecking the Government's economic policy with all these wage.

---demands.",

SANDYS

GUIDED

MISSILE

Programme

FAIR PLAY

FOR MARHED AIRCRAFT

"Good gracious-another transport dispute?"

LIFTS

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