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From ‘The Western Daily Mercury’- 23rd August 1880
An improvement on the ordinary laugh has taken place in the United States. The new laugh, it is stated, is coming into general use this summer, and promises to entirely supersede the old one. To judge by the directions given to ladies in the “Cincinnati Inquirer” for laughing in the new style, the art is only to be acquired by some practice. The laugh goes like this – ‘Te-he, te-he. Ha, ha, ha! Oh-h-h-h-ha, ha, ha! A slow sly beginning is made with ‘te-he,’ as though mirth were struggling inside to break out through maidenly reserve, and the mouth is kept tight closed, while the eyes are opened wide, thus giving an expression of mingled demureness and mischievousness. Then follows the ‘Ha-ha-ha’ higher and louder, with a parting of the lips to show the teeth – if they be white and regular. The ‘Oh-h-h-h’ comes next in a tone of surprise, reproof, or artless gaiety, according to the nature of the thing laughed at, and the voice rises into a pretty little scream. The ensuing pause covers a sudden sense of the impropriety of making so much noise. The eyes cast down, and a blush can in most instances be produced by holding the breath with the lungs very fully inflated. The final ‘Ha-ha-ha!’ is given as a crescendo, spiritedly, and without any show of restraint, like the out bursting hilarity of an unconventional milkmaid. This novelty in laughs is heard everywhere in the metropolis, and is sure to become popular at the summer resorts.
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