early "tits"

Wed Jun 11 18:56:53 UTC 2014

I first heard it in the mid-sixties, referring to little bits of cardboard to be knocked off cardboard inventory boxes. It struck me then.

Geoffrey S. Nathan
Faculty Liaison, C&IT
and Professor, Linguistics Program
http://blogs.wayne.edu/proftech/
+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)

Nobody at Wayne State will EVER ask you for your password. Never send it to anyone in an email, no matter how authentic the email looks.

----- Original Message -----

> From: "Eric Nielsen" <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 12:16:41 PM
> Subject: Re: early "tits"

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: early "tits"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I remember hearing it circa 1977, but I believe it's common usage
> among
> metal workers still. I quick Google search of "tits" + "metalworking"
> gave
> up this exchange between machinists:

> http://www.cnczone.com/forums/general-metalwork-discussion/35059-minimizing-tits-lathe.html

> Eric

> On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 11:07 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:

> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: early "tits"
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Not in OED.
> >
> > How many years ago was it, Eric?
> >
> > BTW, "...on a boar-hog" is documented from 1940.
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 10:39 AM, Eric Nielsen
> > <ericbarnak at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster: Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject: Re: early "tits"
> > >
> > >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > When I first heard that expression I thought it was "useless as
> > > tits on a
> > > board"-- which made sense in an absurdist kind of way.
> > >
> > > Years ago, in local shipyard parlance, all the unwanted pieces of
> > > metal
> > > left sticking out of a bulkhead prior to painting were called
> > > "tits". As
> > in
> > > the boss would call you in and say, "OK, I want you to grind off
> > > all the
> > > tits in here".
> > >
> > > Eric
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 7:29 AM, Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > But cf. "useless as tits on a boar[-hog]" in HDAS....Er, well,
> > > > never
> > > mind
> > > > that....
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 1:25 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > > -----------------------
> > > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > > Poster: Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > > > > Subject: Re: early "tits"
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > > On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
> > > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > not breasts but nipples
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Exactly. "Teat" as "breast" strikes me as, well, messed up.
> > > > > Boar-hogs
> > > and
> > > > > bullamacows (WAG: < "bull, a man cow"; used only in Marshall,
> > > > > Texas,
> > > BE,
> > > > > AFAIK) have "teats" and not "tits."
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > -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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> > > > the
> > > truth."
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> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
> >
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> >

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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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