unscripted speech

[Jonathan Lighter]

Since that time, though, I've noticed that it is almost never used in public.

When I was a tad, I believe it even appeared in kids' stories and comic books.  I think it was one of my grandmother's words.

The Sexual Revolution made everybody more self-conscious about a few things.  Remember those stereotypical Victorians who referred to a piano's "limbs" ?

If they find out about our avoidance of "lickety-split," they'll laugh their asses off.

JL

"Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Arnold M. Zwicky"
Subject: Re: unscripted speech
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On Sep 3, 2005, at 4:45 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> Beavis & Butthead types already recognized "lickety-split" as an
> "obscenity" back when I was in college.

my experience as well. well, it's got "lick" and "split" in it, so
it's going to be snicker-inducing in certain crowds.

> And you know when that was, you young whelps.

i have taken to saying that i went to college in the Pleistocene.

arnold

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