Wapper-jawed

[Gareth Branwyn]

WAPPER-JAWED was one of my stepmother's favorite and most frequently used
pieces of slang. She definitely used it in the "askew" sense. She is a
second generation Lebanese woman who was born and raised in Richmond,
Virginia. Picture a very Middle Eastern-looking woman with a *thick*
southern accent and a '50s-era big hairdo.

> From: Michael Quinion <words at QUINION.COM>
> Organization: World Wide Words
> Reply-To: editor at worldwidewords.org
> Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 11:04:48 +0100
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Wapper-jawed
>
> A subscriber has asked me about the expression 'wapper-jawed',
> of which I've found mention in OED2 and RHWUD. My references
> over here in Britain are not comprehensive enough to determine
> to what extent this expression is now current in the US, if at
> all. My subscriber's co-worker says it actually means "askew",
> which is at variance both with its construction and the sense
> given in RHWUD. Guidance from local experts to help me supply a
> more comprehensive answer will be most helpful and much
> appreciated by all concerned.
>
> --
> Michael Quinion
> Editor, World Wide Words
> <editor at worldwidewords.org>
> <http://www.worldwidewords.org/>
>