jump = copulate with?

[Joel S. Berson]

Chapman has 8 "by 1638 To do the sex act with or to; =screw:  She
admitted she always wanted him to jump her."  (No comment from me on
the male fantasy of female sexuality in Chapman's choice of this example.)

Wilson's two senses are Chapman's 1 "by 1789 To attack; assault;" and
3 "1930s jive talk To be furiously active; be vibrant with noise and
energy."  His 1789 date probably comes from OED2's earliest citation
for sense 9.a.  So it seems the physical assault sense precedes the
rhythm-blues sense.

In any case, my example of rams jumping sheep comes from mid-century
-- mid 18th, that is.

Joel

At 11/16/2005 09:47 PM, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: jump = copulate with?
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>What we have here is a failure to communicate because of a dialect split.
>For me, "he jumped her" has only the reading, "he attacked her, most likely
>from behind or by some other means of ambush." From a "jump" - with
>reference to rhythm - blues:
>
>Dog jumped a rabbit
>And he [the rabbit] hid behind a stump
>Dog jumped a rabbit
>And his [the rabbit's] heart went bumpity-bump.
>
>"Rams *jump* sheep"? Who knew? ;-) I'm not familiar with that usage at all,
>though I have seen roosters literally jump *on* hens in order to copulate
>with them. It looks like we're two ships passing in the night, with repect
>to non-literal uses of "jump."
>
>-Wilson
>
>On 11/16/05, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject: Re: jump =3D copulate with?
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>------
> >
> > But aren't "he jumped her" and "he copulated with her" equivalent,
> > because "jump" can be transitive and copulate only intransitive? In
> > any case, the quote I (almost) have is about rams who "jump ... sheep".
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 11/16/2005 05:12 PM, you wrote:
> > >Oops! I nearly missed your point. I mean only that "jump" can mean
> > >"copulate," but not "copulate with," because you'd have to say "jump
> > with,"
> > >if "copulate with" was meant.
> > >
> > >-Wilson
> >
>
>
>
>--
>-Wilson Gray