Query re "tump"

[Lynne Murphy]

--On Monday, November 26, 2001 8:00 am -0500 "Dennis R. Preston"
<preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU> wrote:

> Dang Rudy, I done forgot "tump," but my folk etymology differs from
> yours. I believe that when you are "tumping" some stuff out of a
> container that you must be prodding the movement along with a tap on
> the bottom (of the container, that is). For me, therefore, it is a
> combination of "thump" and "dump," as best as I can retieve boyhood
> folk etymologies.
>
> Sime I am South Midland (through and through), the label "Chiefly
> Southern" is right or wrong - depending on what "Southern" includes.

I believe I posted on this list once before about TUMP, Wendy Cope's
neologistic acronym (or should that be acronymic neologism?) for 'Totally
Useless Male Poet'.  I suspect some semantic contagion across these terms.

(OK, just kidding.)
Lynne

Dr M Lynne Murphy
Lecturer in Linguistics
Acting Director, MA in Applied Linguistics
School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

phone +44-(0)1273-678844
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