LES (Lower East Side);

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 31, 2004, at 11:40 AM, Mullins, Bill wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: LES (Lower East Side);
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bapopik at AOL.COM [mailto:Bapopik at AOL.COM]
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 1:28 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: LES (Lower East Side); Unscotti
>>
>>
>> LES (LOWER EAST SIDE)
>>
>> "N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles makes the very best, chocolate." In
>> New York City, we name neighborhoods after half a commercial jingle.
>>
>
> The southern half of my home state is occasionally known as "LA" --
> Lower
> Alabama.
>

I've heard that one, myself. Back in '58, when I was back in St. Louis
for a visit after I had moved to Los Angeles, My friends joked that the
LA that I had moved to was actually "Lower Alabama." As fate would have
it, my late father was a native of Moundville, but I think that's more
like "West-Central" than Lower.

Since the 'Fifties were back in the bad old days, most references to
Alabama by blacks were insults. For example, "Were you born in the
Bam?" was used in place of "Were you born in a barn?" A person stupid
beyond the call of duty was referred to as a "bama."

-Wilson Gray