Don't give (or get off your) rat's ass/arse/horse

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Thu Sep 9 03:41:02 UTC 2010


On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 8:30 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> And one has (the OED do have) "grab-assing around". Â "N. Amer. slang
> (orig. Mil.). Â  intr. To engage in horseplay; to fool around. Also
> with around." Â First quote 1957.
>

It probably depends upon one's individual experience. IME, people were
still using "(the) grab-ass" - as in "Cut the grab-ass!" by NCO's to
troops who have failed to heed completely the command, "At ease!" -
and "grabbing ass," as well as "grab-assing," into the early '60's.
Never heard "grab-assing _around_" at all.

Of course, it may be the case that you know this, but didn't feel that
it was needed to make your point. Well, I have to concede that.

--
-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

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