Origin of the term "the dozens"

[Robin Queen]

Can someone on the list tell me where the term "the dozens" or "playing the
dozens" comes from?  Also, is this a term that is no longer being used to
describe ritualized verbal duelling among speakers of AAE and if so, is
there a term that is being used instead.

Thanks in advance
Robin Queen



-----------------------------------
Robin M. Queen
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures/Program in Linguistics
3110 Modern Languages Building
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1275

Tel:  734-615-3856
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~rqueen