FWIW

[Jonathan Lighter]

HDAS has a number of cites for, "Well, I'll be dipped in shit!" referring to WWII, though not published till years later. White guys from the rural South are the speakers, if I remember correctly.

I didn't hear "dip" or "dipshit" till about 1970 or so.

More notable recollections, Wilson. I'm promoting you to Consultant.

JL

Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: FWIW
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In 1950, Earl, a friend from Jefferson City came to St. Louis for a
visit, bringing with him what was, to us Louietowners, a new
expression: "I'll be dipped in shit!" A couple of days later, he left,
taking the expression with him. It didn't catch on in St. Louis and,
since that time, I haven't heard this expression used by anyone else
anywhere else on the face of the earth that I've ever been. But, years
later, when I was in the Army, I heard the term "dipshit."

Earl was black, but the G.I.'s that I heard using the term "dipshit"
were all white.

Now, it seems clear that there must be some connection between "I'll be
dipped in shit!" and "dipshit." But there's none that I can find. In
1950, I heard one black guy say "I'll be dipped in shit!" A decade
[pronounced "dekkid" in St. Louis in those days] later, I heard
"dipshit" used by hundreds of white guys, but not by any black guys.

Ssup wit dat?

-Wilson Gray

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