Underwater Basket Weaving(1958)

[Dave Wilton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Jim Parish
> Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2003 12:51 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Underwater Basket Weaving(1958)
>
>
> Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
> > There are doubtless real courses along the line of "Navajo basket
> > weaving". I seriously doubt that there is a real field of underwater
> > weaving, however.
>
> On a related note, the Boy Scouts offer (or offered, in the 1970s) a
> merit badge in basket weaving. It was, needless to say, a very easy
> one; I believe my entire troop picked it up in the course of a single week
> at camp.

Indeed, I believe the university sense (at least in every instance I've
heard it), carries the connotation of a camp activity, likening
matriculating with attending summer camp.