Originally a trade language of sailors, it was adopted and primarily used within the British Circus, becoming the essential unifying method of communication for performers and crew alike- many of whom stem from diverse territories and across many nations.
Although it's mainstream usage is fairly obsolete, it can still be overheard within modern day circus tents, open air carnivals and sideshows of today. Below is my first installment of colloquialisms within the lexicon.
Brodie: Coined for the famous "bridge jumper" Steve Brodie, (who distinguished himself by purportedly surviving a 14 story fall from the East River Bridge in 1886), the term is defined as an accidental plunge, marked with an element of rashness or folly, and lacking in tragic consequence.
This famous "Brodie" (below) is courtesy of The Althoff Circus- July, 1950. Intended as a promotional stunt, the group loaded their 3 year old elephant on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn (a floating tram) to make the trip into the city. The elephant- apparently not a fan of suspended mass transit- broke through the glass doors and plummeted 39 feet into the Wupper river below. Having survived the fall with only minor injuries, she earned the moniker "Tuffie" which is Italian for "one who dives"
