pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or easy eno

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated Tue, 16 Aug 2005 08:05:35 -0700,  Jonathan Lighter
_wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM_ (mailto:wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM)   writes:

<snip>
>3. In 1969, the word becomes common in print,  presumably owing to the
relaxed attitude
>toward publishing previously taboo language.
>
>   a.  The sources strongly  suggest that the word, so used, originated in
Black
>English.  Comments ?
>
>         b. Can anyone offer strong testimonial evidence that  they were
quite familiar with >the adj. before the late 1960s  ?



George N. Allen  _Undercover Teacher_  np: Doubleday, 1960,  ASIN: B0007DW8ZK
the author, describing his experiences teaching in a New York City public
school (I don't have the book available and don't remember the grade he was
teaching) describes reading "The Owl and the Pussycat" to his students and
having them react to the double-entendre on the word "pussy".  Hence the  sexual
meaning of "pussy" was widespread among New York teenagers by 1960.   It is most
likely that Allen's class was racially integrated, which certainly  does not
rule out that this meaning of "pussy" came from Black English.

Totally OT:  I just discovered that New Jersey has a Downe  Township.

           - James A.  Landau