Fwd: N-bomb

[Wilson Gray]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Janet Marting" <marting at uakron.edu>
> Date: September 5, 2004 4:42:34 PM EDT
> To: "'Wilson Gray'" <wilson.gray at rcn.com>
> Subject: RE: N-bomb
>
> I find, among college students, that the "f-bomb" or "n-bomb"
> supplants the
> word the initial stands for; the "bomb" part is their understanding
> that the
> use of the word is inappropiate.  I'll ask my intro to linguistics
> class
> about this.
>
> --Janet Marting
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wilson Gray [mailto:wilson.gray at rcn.com]
> Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 2:34 PM
> To: Janet Marting
> Subject: Re: N-bomb
>
> Where/what is your comment? I can't find it.
>
> -Wilson Gray
>
> On Sep 5, 2004, at 8:51 AM, Janet Marting wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Wilson Gray [mailto:wilson.gray at RCN.COM]
>> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 11:22 PM
>> Subject: Re: N-bomb
>>
>> On Sep 1, 2004, at 4:59 PM, Alice Faber wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Alice Faber <faber at HASKINS.YALE.EDU>
>>> Subject:      Re: N-bomb
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -
>>> -
>>> --------
>>>
>>> Wilson Gray said:
>>>> On Sep 1, 2004, at 8:53 AM, Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
>>>>>  On Wed, Sep 01, 2004 at 08:14:05AM -0400, Kristina Eisenhower
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>  I am a doctoral student in Second Language Acquisition and a new
>>>>>> subscriber to this list.  If I can be so bold to ask: what the
>>>>>> fuck is the "n-bomb"?
>>>>>
>>>>>  The word _nigger_.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Jesse Sheidlower
>>>>>  OED
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> No shit?! To quote Johnny Carson, "I did not know that." Yesterday,
>>>> I did a quick Google of "n-bomb" and got the impression therefrom
>>>> that it stood for "n[uclear]-bomb." So, how is this other "n-bomb"
>>>> used and who uses it?
>>>
>>> Professional athletes, in TV (post-game) interviews might say
>>> (explaining a fight) "he dropped an n-bomb on me". Try your googling
>>> on "N bomb -neutron -nuclear". Take a look at
>>> <http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/205953p-177782c.html>
>>> , including the headline, for instance. An example, from usenet:
>>> <http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=8ne0uc%243q2m%241%40newssvr03-
>>> int.news.prodigy.com&output=gplain>.
>>> And another
>>> <http://groups.google.com/groups?
>>> selm=3DFEF344.BF76002%40cox.net&output=gplain>.
>>> And a beautiful quote from
>>> <http://groups.google.com/groups?
>>> selm=o50mta.0nv.ln%40goodways.com1net.com&output=gplain>:
>>> "i am sure all yall have dropped the N bomb on a some black people
>>> who have pissed you off.."
>>> --
>>> =====================================================================
>>> =
>>> =
>>> =======
>>> Alice Faber
>>> faber at haskins.yale.edu
>>> Haskins Laboratories                                  tel: (203)
>>> 865-6163 x258
>>> New Haven, CT 06511 USA                                     fax (203)
>>> 865-8963
>>>
>>
>> Who knew? Thanks for the cites. The only slang term/euphemism that
>> I've ever known or used for that is "the magic word," from back in the
>> '60's.
>> FWIW, I
>> don't even begin to agree with Chuck D. I'm on the Dave Chappelle side
>> of that fence.
>>
>> -Wilson Gray
>>
>>
>
>
>