G-string

[David Bergdahl]

I remember a less erotic derivation, as a "granny-string" denoting a
pre-Kotex method dealing with menses.

--On Tuesday, May 6, 2003 12:48 PM -0400 "Douglas G. Wilson"
<douglas at NB.NET> wrote:

>> > Is it relevant that the earliest listed cited (1878, 1885) spelled it
>> > "gee(-)string", while the musical strings are always spelled G string
>> > (with letter and sans hyphen)?
>>
>> Also note the third citation in OED: 1891 Harper's Mag. Dec. 36/2 Some of
>> the boys wore only G-strings (as, for some reason, the breech-clout is
>> commonly called on the prairie).  Were prairie folk that musically
>> oriented that they would come up with a musical term for this item?
>
> My answer to both questions: I don't know.
>
> The spelling "gee" does not, IMHO, preclude its origin in the letter nor
> its interpretation as a letter. Compare, for example, the em and en quads
> used in printing, still (I think) generally spelled so although it's
> obvious that they refer to "m" and "n". Or modern "tee junction", "wye
> connector", etc.
>
> Perhaps some people understood the expression as reminiscent of a violin
> (or guitar) string name while others did not: surely that would be the
> case today. Perhaps more people were familiar with small musical
> instruments then (if you had an informal dance back in the day, you might
> have looked for a violin, surely not a boom box [and maybe not even a
> piano, out on the prairie or in the barn]).
>
> After the string was named "g[ee]-string" the original sense (whatever it
> was) might have been forgotten by many; perhaps this word was often
> analyzed casually in terms of "Gee! He doesn't have any clothes on!"
>
> -- Doug Wilson



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