G-string

[Douglas G. Wilson]

> > Is it relevant that the earliest listed cited (1878, 1885) spelled it
> > "gee(-)string", while the musical strings are always spelled G string
> > (with letter and sans hyphen)?
>
>Also note the third citation in OED: 1891 Harper's Mag. Dec. 36/2 Some of
>the boys wore only G-strings (as, for some reason, the breech-clout is
>commonly called on the prairie).  Were prairie folk that musically
>oriented that they would come up with a musical term for this item?

My answer to both questions: I don't know.

The spelling "gee" does not, IMHO, preclude its origin in the letter nor
its interpretation as a letter. Compare, for example, the em and en quads
used in printing, still (I think) generally spelled so although it's
obvious that they refer to "m" and "n". Or modern "tee junction", "wye
connector", etc.

Perhaps some people understood the expression as reminiscent of a violin
(or guitar) string name while others did not: surely that would be the case
today. Perhaps more people were familiar with small musical instruments
then (if you had an informal dance back in the day, you might have looked
for a violin, surely not a boom box [and maybe not even a piano, out on the
prairie or in the barn]).

After the string was named "g[ee]-string" the original sense (whatever it
was) might have been forgotten by many; perhaps this word was often
analyzed casually in terms of "Gee! He doesn't have any clothes on!"

-- Doug Wilson