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Japanese
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04:49 |
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J01 |
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Words and Their Stories -- a program in Special English. Every word has
its own story. What does it mean? Where did it come from? Today's word is
"scofflaw."
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J02 |
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In 1917, the United States decided to become a dry country. Alcohol for
drinking was prohibited. It became illegal. To make this prohibition a
national law, the Constitution itself had to be changed. The 18th
Amendment was passed. Alcohol, or booze as it is often called, was banned
nationwide. The country was dry. People who liked to take a drink -- a
snort of whiskey now and then -- were not happy. They felt that the new
law violated their civil rights, and so they rebelled. If they could not
get a drink legally, then they would get one illegally. Some started to
make their own alcohol.
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J03 |
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In time, smugglers brought alcohol into the United States. Secret clubs
served smuggled whiskey. To get into such a club, one had to know the
doorman and whisper softly through a tiny hole in the door, "Joe sent me."
These clubs became known as speakeasies. Soon overseas alcohol flowed into
the United States faster than it had before the 18th Amendment.
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J04 |
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People showed little respect for the prohibition law. Troubled officials
feared that such feelings against one law might lead to disrespect for all
laws. Therefore, they started a campaign to show the importance of the
18th Amendment. A wealthy man in Massachusetts, a non-drinker, offered
$200 as a prize for the best word to describe a person who laughed at the
new law. Twenty-five thousand words were sent to him. The winning word was
announced publicly It was "Scofflaw " "Scofflaw" entered the dictionary.
It meant a person who scoffs or laughs or shows disrespect for the law.
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J05 |
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The campaign and the new word did not help. People simply did not like the
18th Amendment. Franklin P. Adams, a famous journalist, wrote a poem to
show how silly the law was. He scoffed at the non-drinkers by saying:
"Prohibition is an awful flop.
We like it.
It can't stop what it's meant to stop.
We like it.
It's left a trail of graft and slime.
It's filled our land with vice and crime.
It doesn't prohibit worth a dime.
Nevertheless, we like it."
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J06 |
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The 18th Amendment was killed in 1933. Drinking, selling, making, and
transporting alcohol was legal once again.
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J07 |
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The word, "scofflaw," was forgotten until recently. It was brought back by
a traffic-court judge in New York City. The judge, John Murtagh, had
worked up a great anger at people who parked their cars where it said "No
Parking." These people were given tickets to pay fines, but they did not
pay them. Judge Murtagh went after them, one man was fined $1,500 and
called a "scofflaw." Today, "scofflaw" is a person who scoffs, laughs at
the law. But unlike laws against drinking, laws against parking will not
be changed. And so, "scofflaw" has become a permanent part of the American
language.
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Voice of America
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