Gorram and Frack

[Jonathan Lighter]

I foolishly took it for granite (n.b.) that all members of this forum were sufficiently advanced in age and learning to be conversant with the earlier sense of "to frag," undoubtedly the inspiration of the comic-book term.

JL


sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: sagehen
Subject: Re: Gorram and Frack
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>About twenty or so years ago, DC Comics inroduced the supervillain "Lobo,"
>last survivor of an obliterated planet. He was the last survivor because
>he obliterated it himself - to be somebody special.
>
>At some early point in the saga, Lobo began muttering about "fragging
>this" and "fraghging that" and "stupid fraggers," "frag up." I've never
>heard anyone actually use these quasi-euphemistic expletives, but a Web
>search shows they're moving stealthily into American English.
>
>You read it here first.
>
>JL
~~~~~~~~~
There is an earlier, more sinister, significance for "fragging," probably
derived from *fragmentation grenade.* It meant taking advantage of a messy
combat situation to dispose of an intolerable superior officer. "Friendly
fire" so to speak.
A. Murie


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