now and forever?

[Grant Barrett]

On jeudi 26 juillet 2001 13:23, Gordon, Matthew J. <GordonMJ at MISSOURI.EDU> wrote:
>Is the use of "cats" in the sense of "guys," "dudes," etc. making a
>comeback? I noticed it in a recent shoe commercial featuring youngish
>African American streetball (basketball) players. I think one of the lines
>is "They call me the calculator, 'cause I'm the cat you can count on."
>I thought "cat" was hip in the 60s and 70s, probably earlier too, but had
>died out except as the sine qua non of Sammy Davis Jr. impersonators.
>Is "cat" coming back into vogue or has it been used throughout and is just
>now being noticed by mainstream advertisers?

I think it's fully back in. Young black men in Brooklyn are using it. And when I
went to get a haircut at the four-dollar place on Tenth Street in Manhattan a few years
ago, a couple of the barbers-in-training--young, black, from all parts of the
city--were using the word without any response from others indicating it was unusual.

--
Grant Barrett
gbarrett at worldnewyork.org
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