on the bug

[Wilson Gray]

On Jul 7, 2005, at 9:11 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: on the bug
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>
> Maybe he just sells tickets to likely prospects "on the bus."
>
> I kid you not.
>
> JL
>
> Grant Barrett <gbarrett at WORLDNEWYORK.ORG> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Grant Barrett
> Subject: Re: on the bug
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> --------
>
> I'm not sure if these are the same meaning because there's really not
> enough context. The phrase you quoted is from Carson McCuller's "The
> Heart Is a Lonely Hunter." A quick search on Amazon full text doesn't
> turn up any more uses of the term in the book.
>
> For what they're worth:
>
> HDAS has the following under "bug" n., second sense: "a hoax; esp. in
> phr. *to put the bug on* to fool or tease." First cite is 1848.
>
> DARE has an illuminating citation under "bug," n., sense 14, for the
> phrase "put the bug on": 1968 DARE (Qu. Y6.._To put pressure on
> somebody to do something he ought to have done_).
>
> Another one under "bug," n. sense 4, "Used in ref to dishonesty or
> deceit: {p} usu in phr _put a (or the) bug on: A trick or hoax....
> 1967 DARE (Qu. Ii33, _To get an advantage over somebody by tricky
> means: "I don't trust him, he's always trying to ______."_)
>
> So perhaps the man was selling scalped or fake tickets, or using high-
> pressure sales tactics?
>
> Also for what it's worth (maybe nothing), there's a use of "on the
> bug tip" in a Biz Markie song called "Boogers" that might be related.
> I have no other cites for it and the meaning is not clear, but given
> the other kinds of tip one can be on, perhaps it means, "the inside
> scoop on weirdness or craziness."
>
> The lyrics:
>
> http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/bizmark/goin_off/boogers.biz.txt
>
> Grant Barrett
> gbarret at worldnewyork.org
>
> On Jul 7, 2005, at 05:24, Paul Frank wrote:
>
>> What does "on the bug" mean? An English-Chinese translator wants to
>> know, and I don't know the answer.
>>
>> " They went down to Madame Reba's Palace of Sweet
>> Pleasure. And father, this is sure one bad, wicked
>> place. [They got a man sells tickets on the bug] -but
>> they also got these strutting, bad-blood, tail-shaking
>> nigger girls."
>

The "tail-shaking" of which the author speaks has long since been
immortalized in song, viz. "(Bend Over! Let Me See You) Shake A Tail
Feather!" There was a hip-hop version of this published last year, but
the original song is about 45 years old.

-Wilson Gray

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