(quasi-)neologisms

[Michael Adams]

Just as you say, Larry -- every single one.  And even the NOUN + muchs
have to project a negative quality:

"Meanwhile, 'My Best Friend's Wedding'/'Friends' much?" means, in its
context, "How screwed up are you?"  "Tuna much," from the movie
"Jawbreaker" drips with disbelief when Rose McGowan says it, etc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Sent:         Mon, 9 May 2005 13:36:28 -0400
Subject:      Re: (quasi-)neologisms

  >On Mon, 9 May 2005 12:18:36 -0400, Benjamin Zimmer
 ><bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
 >
  >>On Mon, 9 May 2005 11:55:34 -0400, Michael Adams
<madams1448 at AOL.COM>
 >>wrote:
 >>
 >>>Jesse is right that ADJ + much predates "Buffy" -- but OED's second
  >>>quote from "Heathers" is the only known pre-"Buffy" instance of it
and
 >>>the pattern seems to have been "invented" for "Heathers," then
 >>>exploited by "Buffy" such that it's a "Buffyism" more than it's
 >>>anything else. (ADJ + much isn't the only item from "Heathers"
 >>>borrowed and developed in "Buffy.") Eventually, outside of "Buffy,"
  >>>NOUN + much develops, apparently on the ADJ + much model, so ADJ +
much
  >>>is more interesting than at first it seems -- if anyone ever
uncovers
  >>>an instance of ADJ + much from between 1988 and 1997 (besides the
one
  >>>in the "Buffy" film of 1992), I'd be glad to hear about it, because
it
  >>>would change the picture some to know that it had a life outside of
the
 >>>Heathers/Buffy relationship.
 >>
  >>Check the Usenet archive. For "jealous much?" I see one cite from
'91,
  >>two from '92, two from '93, etc. I'd guess _Heathers_ fans did the
early
 >>popularizing.
 >
  >Some more Usenet examples of ADJ + _much?_ through '97 (the only one
that
 >occurs with much regularity is "paranoid much?", starting in '93):
 >
 >-----

 all with negatively-evaluative content (no "tall much?" or
 "intransitive much?"), and none of them true questions

 L


>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.personals/msg/af123b601000310c
 >alt.personals, Apr 24 1993
 >Paranoid much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.games.doom/msg/20ee1942cb4d75e9
 >alt.games.doom, Jan 7 1994
 >Arrogant much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/k12.chat.teacher/msg/376d04fa398997f2
 >k12.chat.teacher, Jan 22 1994
 >Contradictory much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.politics.homosexuality/msg/ec643decf7dab0b4
 >alt.politics.homosexuality, May 30 1994
 >Obsessive much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/k12.chat.junior/msg/cf9ded057a6d6e59
 >k12.chat.junior, Feb 1 1995
 >Can we say "Rude Much?!"
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/misc.invest.stocks/msg/662fbcaea1aca4a0
 >misc.invest.stocks, Oct 12 1996
 >Confused much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.autos.sport.f1/msg/fbe1c2900b783abc
 >rec.autos.sport.f1, May 22 1996
 >Lazy much?
 >-----
 >http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.wedding/msg/19d9fc35c5ccbc7e
 >alt.wedding, Dec 20 1996
 >Geez, Kim, sarcastic much?
 >-----
 >http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.fashion/msg/b57eaff2299e87a7
 >alt.fashion, Mar 28 1997
 >Selfish much?
 >-----
 >
 >Also, two related examples of V + "much?":
 >
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/msg/4e0b6f1ac6db9a69
 >alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren, Feb 7 1996
 >Gee, condescend much?
 >-----

>http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.tv.x-files/msg/d8c113e74f887b19
 >alt.tv.x-files, Feb 23 1996
 >Gee. Obsess much?
 >-----
 >
 >
 >--Ben Zimmer