geographical slanders/euphemisms

[Laurence Horn]

At 12:18 PM -0500 1/6/03, Wendalyn Nichols wrote:
>Those of us who grew up in the Northwest are familiar with the "California
>driver"--a reckless speed demon who disregards traffic rules and never
>comes to a complete stop at a controlled intersection.

Notice, though, that some of these slurs and slanders are not ironyms
in my sense.  A Welsh rabbit is not a rabbit (but what the poor
rabbit-deprived Welsh presumably think is one), nor is a prairie
oyster an oyster.  And the DC parking permit below is not a parking
permit.  But a California driver is a driver, however reckless, just
as a Philadelphia lawyer is a lawyer.  I think the distinction is a
significant one.

Larry

>
>At 08:25 PM 1/4/03 -0500, you wrote:
>>Philadelphia lawyer
>>
>>DC parking permit (the emergency flashers on your car)---I have only heard
>>this from one person (from Baltimore, worked in a seedy area of Washington
>>DC) so I'm not sure it's in general use, or, for that matter, usually
>>attributed to DC
>>
>>       - Jim Landau