"playboy" [Was: article on the name "America"]

[Baker, John M.]

        In the initial story, from 1939, Bruce Wayne was described as a
"socialite."  I'll see if I can find when they started calling him a
"playboy"; it was not too far along.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 7:39 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "playboy" [Was: article on the name "America"]

I wouldn't think of ignoring BW.  Was he described as a "millionaire
playboy" from the beginning?  Or a "millionaire socialite"?  Or just a
"millionaire"?

JL

On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 7:06 PM, Baker, John M. <JMB at stradley.com>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John M." <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "playboy" [Was: article on the name "America"]
>
>
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-------
>
>        I don't think you can ignore the influence of millionaire
> playboy Bruce Wayne, surely the most famous playboy of them all.  It's
> not always clear just what kind of "playing" Wayne does, but his
status
> as a playboy seems to include personal wealth; high society
connections;
> single status (i.e., neither married nor an exclusive relationship);
and
> a reputation for frivolity, including a perceived love of parties
> (though he often misses them or leaves suddenly) and lack of serious
> interests.  (This last is quite true:  Although Bruce Wayne, as
Batman,
> does take a deep interest in crime and justice, he largely ignores
> everything else, including his company, Wayne Enterprises.  Compare
Tony
> Stark, a thoroughly committed industrialist.)
>
>
> John Baker
>

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