disameliorative effect of euphemisms

[Gregory {Greg} Downing]

At 12:48 PM 2/28/2001 EST, Jim Landau wrote:
>The story about Thomas Crapper appeared in
>
>Wallace Reyburn _Flushed with Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper._  published
>originally in 1969, at least one reprint( London: Pavilion Books Limited,
>1989.), now out of print.
>
>Reyburn published at least one book that was a hoax, namely _Bust-up_.... The
>two books are quite similar in style and layout.  Since _Bust-up_ is a
>hoax, I can only assume that so is _Flushed with pride_.
>
>In some long-forgotten source I read that there is a British plumbing firm
>named "Thomas Crapper and Sons", and that Reyburn, seeing the obvious pun,
>turned it into a book-length tall tale.
>

Right. Tamony's cite at HDAS "crapper" is from 1972, three years after
Reyburn's book. An amusing and/or geewhiz folk-etymology always spreads
widely and holds on tenaciously. Ask Barry Popik about "hot dog" some time.
Or, don't!

Because Tamony quotes a trademark supposedly found on late 19th century
commodes ("Crapper's Valveless Water Waste Preventer"), I was entertaining
the possibility that the proper name may have helped promote the already
natural enough process of adding -er to the verb "crap." But if Tamony was
drawing on a hoax (was he, in this case? might any light be shed by the two
1985 Festschrift articles cited in the HDAS entry for "crap"?), then maybe
there is no connection at all between "crapper" and Thomas Crapper. I know I
heard this etymology presented as true either on or somehow in connection
with the Johnny Carson show back in the 70s, and long since figured it had
to be an amusing but made-up story. Cf. Mr. "Chadless"'s tape, as discussed
on this list in 11/2000.


Greg Downing, at greg.downing at nyu.edu or gd2 at nyu.edu