unearths some literary gems.
From "Cheerio! American Slang Is Far Better Than England’s; Mr. Wodehouse, Past Master of It in His Stories, Says So" (the New York Evening World, March 23, 1922):
[Says Wodehouse]
An Englishman is always at his best in terms of address. If he calls a friend ‘Old bean’ on Monday, it would never do to repeat it on the next day. Tuesday it would be ‘Old egg’ and Wednesday would undoubtedly bring forth ‘Old crumpet.’
[And you might enjoy the chart/quiz at the bottom of the page:
http://madameulalie.org/others/CheerioSlang.html]
