those consort names again

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

Hey, PIMP seems to have done pretty well in recent years, too!

In a message dated 8/31/08 5:33:13 PM, gcohen at MST.EDU writes:


> Original message from Laurence Horn, Sun 8/31/2008 8:59 AM
> 
> <snip>
> I see that Republican VP nominee-designate Sarah Palin's husband Todd
> is known in Alaska as First Dude.   (And so is Gary Sebelius, whose
> wife--the governor of Kansas--had been one of the dark horses rumored
> to be under consideration by Obama.)
> 
> LH
> 
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> 
> 
> This is actually a very significant development in the history of "dude." In 
> 1883 the term emerged from obscurity, bursting onto the national scene with 
> the meaning (roughly) "brainless young man imitating British 
> dress/speech/etc. and looking ridiculous in the process." In the late 19th century the dudes 
> were a staple of humor for cartoonists and joke writers.
> 
> And now, after a long journey, "dude" has reached a social pinacle of sorts 
> as the proud designation of the husbands of two woman governors.  For a 
> parallel to such a moving development (and those of us who delve into word 
> histories can get emotional about this), I know only of "hot dog" -- originally a 
> rather disgusting term that gradually gained acceptance and reached a pinacle 
> of social acceptability when the king and queen of England dined on "hot dogs" 
> with President and Mrs. Roosevelt (June 21, 1939).
> 
> G. Cohen
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 




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