etymological question: "jack shit"

[Margaret Lee]

 "jackshit"
> the type of items
> for which there tends to be a lot of documentation
> outside of slang
> dictionaries--or even sometimes inside them.  I was
> surprised to
 (I claim) is most relevant to
> the minimizer use
> of "jack(shit)" is not mentioned in RHHDAS, so this
> minimizer
> (RHHDAS's JACK 15:  'the least bit, anything')
> larry

Smitherman's BLACK TALK (2000) lists jack as "short
for jack shit, meaning 'nothing.'"


=====
Margaret G. Lee, Ph.D.
Associate Professor - English and Linguistics
& University Editor
Department of English
Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668
Office:(757)727-5769; FAX:(757)727-5421; Home:(757)851-5773
e-mail:  mlee303 at yahoo.com   or   margaret.lee at hamptonu.edu

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