The [1749 Cleland "freak out"] and friends

[Joel S. Berson]

At 10/3/2010 01:49 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>  On 10/3/2010 9:58 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>...
>>But the following from 1852 does seem to fit with "freak-out" = "An
>>intense emotional experience", and with the Cleland quote:
>>
>>"I accordingly waited until he had his freak out, when I found that
>>he became more placid in his temper,"
>>
>>"Freak n[1] sense 1 is "A sudden causeless change or turn of the
>>mind; a capricious humour, notion, whim, or vagary."
>>
>>Thus this quote likely is "I accordingly waited until *his excessive
>>emotion was over*.
>>...
>
>In my amateur musings, I think, you're overanalyzing.
>
>I see this exactly as the preceding quote, with the analysis "had [his
>freak] out". In fact, the meaning would not change if you replaced "had"
>with "let". What I don not see is "had his [freak out]". Or did I
>misintepret your interpretation?

"Freak" in the first two quotations seems to be n.1 sense 1, "A
sudden causeless change or turn of the mind; a capricious humour,
notion, whim, or vagary", or 2, "The disposition of a mind subject to
such humours; capriciousness."

But in the third, it seems possible that it is (I waited until) "he
had his [freak out]"-- his excess of emotion -- (when he became more
placid).  This is similar to "freak-out" = "An intense emotional experience."

But I agree that one might also analyze it as "until his freak, his
capricious humour (or "his caper") of excessive emotion was over", as
Victor I think is suggesting.

The question is -- is this quotation more like the latter meaning,
Victor's, or more like "when he had his freak-out out"? (= "when he
was finished with his freak-out")  Does it represent a step on the
way toward "freak-out"?

(And I have difficulty seeing the Cleland quotation as meaning Fanny
finished something rather than that Fanny had had an intense
experience -- with an idiot with a large sexual organ.)

Joel

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