Splib

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 27, 2004, at 4:08 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: Splib
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>
> On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 18:30:07 -0400, Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
> wrote:
>
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
>>
>>> I hope Jonathon Green can say something about it. His (Cassell's)
>>> slang
>>> dictionary shows an etymology which I don't understand.
>>>
> Is it _that_ incomprehensible?  I suggested a possible link to the phr.
> slip-de-wib, and the jazz use splibby, which I defined, doubtless from
> a
> more authoritative source, which evades me now, possessing 'soul'. Ah,
> I
> have the source: Clarence Major's Juba to Jive which is not, and i'd be
> intersted to know if Wilson Gray has seen it

Of course I've seen it. Hasn't everyone? In fact, I have all the work
that he has published on slang that I've been able to find. Prof. Major
is a member of the faculty of my alma mater, so, still being imbued
with school spirit, I don't mind throwing a buck or two his way. Well,
actually, I bought "Juba" through a book club, so I saved.
Unfortunately, the degree of respect that I have for Prof. Major as a
lexicologist/etymologist is quite low. In fact, IMO, if Prof. Major
were white, he would not have been able to get his work published
without some serious editing and vetting, at the very least.

the ideal authority.

"Ideal" in what sense? In the sense that Prof. Major's work is unique,
perhaps?

He in turn cites Wentworth & Flexner.

Now, Wentworth & Flexner is a different matter altogether. It cites the
title of an old record, "I'm in sharp when I hit the coast." This use
of the phraseology, "I'm in sharp," is together, hip, way out,
charging, kicks ass, whales a while, etc., and is very interesting.
Unfortunately, when you actually listen to the record, what you hear is
the utterly prosaic, "I'm _really_ sharp when I hit the coast,"
revealing that "I'm _in_ sharp" is a ghost not worth the ink and paper
used to print it. Aside from this error and perhaps one or two others
not worth remembering, W&F is the bomb. And I'm not saying that just
because they're white.

-Wilson Gray

>
> I can return to this on Saturday; in the interim I'm off to Paris. I
> trust
> at least some will be jealous.
>
> JG
>
> PS. What on earth is wrong with 'Would that it were?' a phrase that is
> rarely far from my lips. Other than its status as an appalling and
> probably unforgiveable cliche.
>