USA Today on "sucks "

[Jonathan Lighter]

Within the past five years I have seen a bumper sticker that says "Bad People Suck."

I have seen one that added, "Nice People Swallow."

MiRobin Webster's analysis well articulates what seems to me to be the unconscious source of the instant assumption of a fellative reference - and the outrage of the patrents and others who objected to the usage's appearance in prime time.

While I still believe a fellative reference is likely to be the effective etymology as well, MiRobin's psychological insight does not entail that conclusion.

JL

RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
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In a message dated 9/30/05 12:10:07 AM, laurence.horn at YALE.EDU writes:


>=20
> While I agree with Ron's point here, and with his article (which I
> include in course packets), I would still suggest one quasi-answer to
> the last quasi-rhetorical (indirect) question above.=A0 Don't most of
> those other expressions, including pejorative ones, involve
> *transitive* occurrences of the verb "suck" (e.g. the much-cited
> "sucks eggs", "suck the hind teat", "suck wind", "suck (one's)
> thumb")?=A0 The intransitive or absolute occurrence, on the other hand,
> occurs largely in two constructions: in the "Yankees suck" form (or
> "Harvard sucks", as it's often pronounced around here) and in "X
> sucks" as a dispositional predication approximately equivalent to "X
> is {disposed/known} to perform oral sex [on some male/any male]".=A0 If
> this observation is right, it would go some toward explaining why, as
> Ron points out, "a lot of people will associate SUCK with fellatio"
> even if this is unfaithful to the actual etymological record.
>=20

I think this is right on the mark. Thanks, Larry. There is nothing inherentl=
y=20
sexual about "blows," either--or "swallow," yet their use intranstively,=20
especially in the right context, can trigger sexual interpretations, as in t=
he=20
infamous Duke tee shirt that says, on the front, "State sucks," and on the b=
ack,=20
"Carolina swallows."


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