USA Today on "sucks"

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:59 PM -0400 9/29/05, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>USA Today has two articles on the shifting semantic status of "X sucks",
>including commentary from Ron Butters. My only quibble is that the writers
>imply that "sucks" *always* had an obscene connotation, when the evidence
>(AFAIK) shows that the presumed sexual meaning only developed after the
>expression had gained some popularity.
>

How about a quibble or two with this claim from the second article,
with particular reference to a much loved topic, the history of
"jazz"?


>"This is very common," e-mails Robert Leonard, professor of linguistics at
>Hofstra University. " 'Enthusiasm' used to mean, at the time of the
>Declaration of Independence, 'spirit possession.' Meanings change. 'Rock
>'n' roll' and 'jazz' both started as terms for sexual intercourse and were
>slangy ways to refer to the musical forms. Now they just refer to the
>musical forms for the vast majority."