MIT slang list (1962)

[Wilson Gray]

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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: MIT slang list (1962)
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>
>On Sun, 13 Mar 2005, Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
>
>>  On Sun, Mar 13, 2005 at 02:11:29AM -0500, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>>  >
>>  > IHTFP - An expression of loyalty towards the Institute, meaning "Institute
>>  > Has The Finest Professors"
>>
>>  Hahaha.
>>
>>  This one has a long association with MIT; The 2003 book _Nightwork: A
>>  History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT_ is written by "Institute Historian
>>  T. F. Peterson". There's also "Interesting Hacks To Fascinate People".
>
>I Hate This Fucking Place.

This expansion, i.e. I Hate This Fucking Place, was used, in the
Army, of the post at which one had the misfortune to be stationed.
Related to this was the saying, "There are only two good posts: the
one that you came from and the one that you're going to," a rendition
of a couple of old saws: "better the devil you know than the one you
don't" and "you never miss the water till the well runs dry."

-Wilson Gray


>   When I was a student at Harvard Law School, it
>was common to refer to it as HFLS (Harvard Fucking Law School).
>
>Fred
>
>
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