Bible-bashing

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Nov 20, 2006, at 9:07 AM, Ron Butters wrote:

> In a message dated 11/20/06 11:54:45 AM, zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU
> writes:
>
>
>> the 'Bible-thumping' uses seem to be british (or australian).
>> american uses seem to be of 'bashing the Bible'.  the u.k. cites
>> include some in both senses.
>>
>> arnold
>>
>
> I wonder if "bible-bashing" in the (instrumental) sense of 'bible-
> attacking'
> could derive from the recipient (I hesitate to use the old term
> "patient")
> sense found in "queer-bashing" and "fag bashing" ?

the OED has a relevant figurative use of the verbal noun "bashing"
from 1959 ("their 1911 bashing of Mr. Lloyd George"); "queer-bashing"
and "queer-basher" from 1970 on; "gay-bashing", "gay-basher", and
"gay-bash" from 1989 on; and no "fag-bashing" etc.  i can't see any
way to trace the history of "X-bashing/basher" in general in the OED,
though it's certainly possible that X = "queer"/"gay" was the vector
for the spread of the pattern, eventually to X = "Bible".

meanwhile, the OED has "Bible-banging" and "Bible-bashing" (whence
"Bible-banger" and "Bible-basher") as australian/new zealand slang,
equivalent to "Bible-pounding" (other variants: "Bible-thumping",
"Bible-punching"), with cites from the 1940s on.

it looks like "Bible-pounding/pounder" (with cites from 1889 on) was
where this use started, with a fairly rapid extension to contact
verbs other than "pound".  clearly this usage of "Bible-bashing/
basher" is now abroad in u.k. (as well as antipodal) english, and is
no more slang (these days) than "Bible-pounding" or "Bible-
thumping".  colorful, but not slang.

arnold

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