"take a Dixie"

[Garson O'Toole]

One meaning of "took a dixie" in 1997 is "took a fall (from a horse or pony)".

Cite: 1997, Victory Ride: Volume 8 of Short Stirrup Club by Allison
Estes, Pocket Books. (Google Books snippet view, Data may be
inaccurate)

Page 31
 "Well, you took a big dixie, didn't you?" Perry pointed at Amanda,
still enjoying the episode.

Page 32
 "What is a 'dixie'?" Amanda said disdainfully, as if the word somehow
tasted bad.
 "What's a dixie?" Perry began laughing all over again. "It's when you
fall. You fell right down off ...

Page 100
 "Well. Just look who took a 'dixie,' Amanda said with a smug smile.
It wasn't very nice, but nobody could blame Amanda, after the way
Perry had ...

http://books.google.com/books?id=WuH5jVLIBXcC&q=dixie#search_anchor

This agrees in part with what Larry Horn found at WikiAnswers.


Google Answers has a question in 2003 that suggests two meanings:
"took a dixie" meaning a "fall" or "disappearance", as in "taking a powder"

Subject: Origin of expression
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: tgfoley-ga
List Price: $3.00       Posted: 17 Jan 2003 09:32 PST
Expires: 16 Feb 2003 09:32 PST
Question ID: 144774

I believe the origin of the word "Dixie" is "dix" in French, referring to
a ten franc note in Louisiana, but I'm interested in the origin of the
expression "took a dixie" meaning a "fall" or "disappearance", as in
"taking a powder"

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=144774


On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 4:41 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "take a Dixie"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 4:16 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>
>> "I'll see you in a bit. I have to take a Dixie."
>
> Larry, you are a caution!
>
> --
> -Wilson
> –––
> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> –Mark Twain
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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