Rubberneck

[Dennis R. Preston]

Lynne's last comments below describe perfectly the national gesture of
Brazil. (And you thought it was the "figa" I bet!)

dInIs

>> Interestingly, it doesn't seem to be in the OED.  This term (as
>> either "rubbernecker" or "rubbernecking") is one I'm also familiar
>> with from as far back as I can recall, but since I'm also from NYC &
>> suburbs that doesn't add much.  But pace Alice, while rubberneckers
>> can and often do CAUSE slowdowns, I'd argue that's not part of the
>> definition of the term--if I slow down to gawk at an accident off to
>> the side I'm a rubbernecker even if there's no one else on the road.
>> Tobacco causes cancer too but the latter isn't part of the lexical
>> entry (as opposed to the encyclopedia entry, perhaps) of the former.
>> I know, picky, picky, but if we're not, who will be?
>>
>> larry
>
>Larry, you're such a pedant when it comes to lexical semantics.  That's
>exactly what I respect in a person.
>
>AHD4 doesn't mark it as regional, and also doesn't have it as
>traffic-specific.  A rubbernecker is just 'a gawking onlooker'.  It
>seems to me that I've used/heard this in various parts of the country
>(incl. Illinois and Texas) and have met people in these places who
>didn't know the term in spite of the fact that others there did.  I
>think this is because I lived in less trafficful places and the people
>from the small towns were less likely to have experience with the word
>than the people from the big cities.  But that's just my impression.
>
>I think the term might also be used for folks who neck-swivel and slow
>down to see the backsides of passersby in thongs/micro-minis, etc.
>
>Lynne


Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736