whence BUCK NAKED?

[Sam Clements]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Cohen" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
A 1952 quote (from Vance Randolph's _Down in the
> Holler_ says: "[In the Ozarks] the word _buck naked_ is avoided in polite
conversation, although _bare naked_ _mother naked_  [etc.] are  not
offensive."

>     Evidently in this 1952 quote, "buck naked" was regarded as
> offensive because its origin from "buck-ass naked" was common
> knowledge to the Ozarks speakers.

That may have solved why they didn't use it in Arkansas.

But I can cite five or more newspapers in 1952-55 from Newspaperarchive that
used it and didn't give a "buck."

SC