Antedating? of "shot his wad" 1896

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 20, 2004, at 3:29 AM, Jonathon Green wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathon Green <slang at ABECEDARY.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating? of "shot his wad" 1896
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>> Quite so.  For example, from reading My Secret Life by "Walter,"
>> published in parts 1888-1894, I learned that "punk," which is an
>> insulting term for a male homosexual in BE, was used as a term for a
>> female prostitute in Victorian England.
>>
>> -Wilson Gray
>
> Punk = whore dates to c.1570 and flourished in the late 16C-early 18C.
> Walter's use is almost anachronistic: it was virtually gone by 1890,
> though it very occasionally appears up to the 1920s. The meaning
> underpins
> the modern prison use, where inter alia it refers to a (gay) young
> inmate
> used for sex, voluntarily or otherwise.
>
> Jonathon Green
>

Is the modern prison use insulting or merely descriptive? In the 'hood,
it's most definitely an insult and a clear challenge to one's manhood.
However, as is so often the case, there's a way out of having to fight.
A good "joning" reply to being called a "ponk" is, "Get up off your
knees! I know when I've been licked!" Bystanders will join in with
shouts of "Aw, shit! If you'll stand for that, you'll stoop for this!"
accompanied by the crotch-grabbing gesture ("hustling one's nuts")
introduced to the outside world by Michael Jackson. At this point, it's
possible for either challenger or challenged to back out of the fight
and still maintain his cool by saying, e.g. "Fuck all y'all!" or "Your
ass, motherfucker!" and turning away from his opponent. This is what
usually happens. Street fights are actually quite rare, unless liquor
is involved.
"Wolfing" goes on all the time, so that the fact that one has been
insulted is, by itself, not enough to instigate a physical altercation.
It's necessary to reply to an insult, but a good verbal reply is
sufficient.

-Wilson Gray