papa; also: flashy looking

[George Thompson]

I actually read over my posts before sending, and often tighten the phrasing and catch typos.  I had caught one typo in this passage, but missed the one Larry comments on.

On the other hand, though it may not happen frequently that a drunk is somber (as opposed to morose or maudlin), the hung-over are another matter -- particularly the hung-over who awaken in the girls' drunk-tank.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 0:18 am
Subject: Re: papa; also: flashy looking
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> At 11:48 PM -0400 5/31/10, George Thompson wrote:
> >         A flashy looking young woman, walked into the Police Office,
> >yesterday, in a state of gross intoxication.  Her first exclamation
> >on entering, was directed to Mr. Hopson, who sat on the bench.  "He
> >is my husband," said she with an accompanying hiccup, "my own
> >husband."  "Well," said the Magistrate, "he has a drunken wife, who
> >ever he is."  "Me drunk," replied she, "not I, papa, but it's a
> >miracle that I'm not, for I have been drinking gin all day."  The
> >husband here entered and begged the Magistrate to confine her until
> >she should become somber, which was accordingly done.
> >         Morning Courier & New-York Enquirer, October 22, 1831, p. 2,
> col. 2
>
> Did the wife really turn "somber"?  I like the idea of a somber
> drunk, but I suspect it's just a garden-variety typo.
>
> LH
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org