Fwd: "Got your back"? [from Jerry Cohen]

[Laurence Horn]

(I assumed it was either police or military in origin, although I confess my evidence for this supposition comes entirely from watching movies, TV shows, and genre novels.

--LH)

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at mst.edu>
> Date: December 29, 2011 12:01:51 PM EST
> To: <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> Subject: FW: Re: "Got your back"?
> 
> Laurence,
>    I tried sending the message below to ads-l, but somehow it didn't go through.  I'd be very grateful if you would forward it to the listserv.
> 
> Best. -- Jerry
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Sent: Thu 12/29/2011 10:39 AM
> To: American Dialect Society
> Subject: Re: "Got your back"?
> 
> 
> I've always thought that the specific reference was to a a police raid, in which policeman A would tell policeman B "I have your back," i.e. policeman B could concentrate entirely on what's in front of him and not have to worry about being shot or otherwise attacked from the rear. Policeman A was behind him and would protect him there.
> -----Gerald Cohen
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Laurence Horn
> Sent: Thu 12/29/2011 8:51 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "Got your back"?
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "Got your back"?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> On Dec 29, 2011, at 9:25 AM, Tom Zurinskas wrote:
> 
>> Headline:  "Need to Run Windows on Your Mac? Parallels Has Got Your =
> Back"
>> 
>> I suppose "has got your back" means "takes care of you".  New one to =
> me.
>> 
>> 
> http://chris.pirillo.com/need-to-run-windows-on-your-mac-parallels-has-got=
> -your-back/
> 
> It's not new.  The OED has it from 1975:
> 
> N. Amer. colloq. (orig. in African-American usage). to get (also have) a =
> person's back : =3D to watch a person's back.
> 
> 1975    J. De Jongh Hail, hail, Gangs! (Electronic ed.) 6   Two of them =
> and one of you, but I got your back. Kick both of them in the ass.
> 1985    Washington Post 29 Mar. e5/3   Don't worry, Coach, I've got your =
> back.
> 
> as a variant of 'to watch a person's back':
> 
> to watch a person's back : to protect or guard a person against =
> potential attack (sometimes literally from behind); (also) to support or =
> assist a person.
> 
> 1974    =91J. le Carr=E9=92 Tinker, Tailor xvii. 145   Clear a foreign =
> letter box, prime a safe house, watch someone's back, spike an embassy.
> 
> LH
> 
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> 

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