"knock up" --usage

[Wilson Gray]

I, too, agree with you, Fritz.

As for "would hit it," IMO, this is a very recent pseudo-euphemistic
variant of the ancient - in use as far back as the '40's - phrase,
"would tap that ass," which is still in use, with "tap" replaced  by
"hit" and the "it" understood as standing for "that ass."

Further, IMO, this "tap" is derived from, or at least influenced by,
the "tap" in "tap a keg of beer."

-Wilson Gray

On 9/20/05, Baker, John <JMB at stradley.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "knock up" --usage
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>         In the Mystic Pizza example, the speaker is a bride at her
> wedding reception, and the "she" referred to is a friend who just
> inquired when the bride expects to start having children.  The speaker
> is amused and is not really complaining.
>
>         In response to a different post, I suppose that "knock up"
> derives from knock = have sex with, a very old and, AFAIK, now archaic
> slang term (but cf. "would hit it" = would have sex with that person).
> Arguing against this derivation, "knock up" was originally euphemistic
> (though it is no longer), requiring a more complicated chain if it
> derived from a slang term for sex.
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of Barbara Need
> Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 10:36 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "knock up" --usage
>
> >On Sep 19, 2005, at 7:46 PM, Baker, John wrote:
> >
> >>         I would say that it was mildly offensive and inappropriate,
> >>but not a hanging offense.  Although the phrase usually refers to an
> >>unwanted pregnancy out of wedlock, it has been ameliorated in recent
> >>years and now is used not infrequently to refer to pregnancy in
> >>wedlock.
> >>The first listing on Google for "knocked up" is for a Salon article
> >>entitled "'So, why aren't you knocked up yet?' Since I got married,
> >>everyone and their mailman has asked me this question."  IIRC, the
> >>movie Mystic Pizza (1988) included the line "I've only been married
> >>two hours and she wants me to get knocked up."
> >
> >Notice though that in both cases it's a woman complaining about others
> >wanting them to be pregnant, which they (apparently) don't want
> >themselves, so there's still some sort of negativity in the message.
>
> Except that, unless it is a typo, the speaker in the Mystic Pizza
> example is male. Can men be knocked up?
>
> Barbara
>
> Barbara Need
> UChicago
>


--
-Wilson Gray