Words of the Year

[davemarc]

Alphonse and Gaston were comics characters who deferred to each other ad
infinitum.

http://www.toonopedia.com/alphgast.htm

A "willie pep" is similar yet different: It's the common experience of
sidestepping in synch with a person walking towards you.

Cheers,

David


----- Original Message -----
From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 10:34 AM
Subject: Re: Words of the Year


> At 11:58 PM -0500 1/2/07, davemarc wrote:
> >I look forward to the results of this week's vote!
> >
> >As an infrequent kibitzer here, I thought I'd mention the following....
> >
> >
> >"willie pep"--Is anyone here familiar with the use of the late boxer
Willie
> >Pep's name as a noun? I've got an unsourced citation (possibly from The
New
> >Yorker by March 9, 1990) that goes as follows:
> >
> >wil*lie pep n [fr. eponymous hero *Willie Pep* b. 1922, professional
> >prizefighter]: The act of two people attempting to go in opposite
directions
> >who wind up blocking each other's path by spontaneously moving back and
> >forth rapidly, but always remaining directly in front of the other
person.
> >"I'm sorry I'm late. I had a *willie pep* with a guy in the hall." (Frank
> >Gannon)
> >
> >I know this term isn't really used, but perhaps there's a way to pay
tribute
> >to this useful but underused term when looking back on the year when
Willie
> >Pep died.
> >
> Well, that would deprive the immortal Alphonse and Gaston from their
> rightful legacy.  Who were they, anyway?  A French vaudeville routine?
>
> LH
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org