Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...merry Christmas)

Dennis R. Preston preston at MSU.EDU
Fri Dec 1 17:50:29 UTC 2006 

When one says "As my old daddy..." one hardly means to attribute invention.

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...merry
>               Christmas)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Dennis Preston:  As my old daddy used to say, hope in one hand and
>shit in the
>>  other and see which fills up first.
>
>Jonathan Lighter: No disrespect to dInIsIz daddy, but that's a well
>known proverb in
>>  our rural districts.
>>
>
>Gershon Legman used a variant of that expression in a book, probably
>in the 1960s or earlier, as his response to a threat of a law-suit,
>offering it as an adaptation of the phrase "wish into one
>hand. . . .":  "Sue into one hand and shit into the other. . . ."
>
>By the way -- a number of year ago, there was discussion here of a
>manuscript autobiography that Legman had left.  Does anyone know of a
>plan to publish it?  If I recall, Fred Shapiro at the time was in
>correspondence with Legman's widow.
>
>GAT
>
>George A. Thompson
>Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
>Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From:  <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>Date: Friday, December 1, 2006 9:26 am
>Subject: Re: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and
>nuts...merry Christmas)
>>   JL
>>
>>  Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------
>>  --------------
>>  Sender: American Dialect Society
>>  Poster: Wilson Gray
>>  Subject: Re: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and
>>  nuts...merryChristmas)
>>  -------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  ------------
>>
>>  Point taken, dInIs. And yo' daddy sho' had the poten'niss grasp on
>the
>>  vicissitudes of life. I'm going to add that one to my own repertoire.
>>
>>  -Wilson
>>
>>  On 11/30/06, Dennis R. Preston
>>  wrote:
>>  > ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------
>>  --------------
>>  > Sender: American Dialect Society
>>  > Poster: "Dennis R. Preston"
>>
>>  > Subject: Re: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and
>>  nuts...merry> Christmas)
>>  > -----------------------------------------------------------------
>>  --------------
>>  >
>>  > Wilson,
>>  >
>>  > What's annoying about it? I attribute pert nigh everything I say
>>  > that's of any folk value to my "old daddy," usually prefacing it
>>  with> "As my old daddy used to say...." My students even made me a
>>  t-shirt
>>  > with some the more delightful ones on the back.
>>  >
>>  > E.g.,
>>  >
>>  > ME: When you gone finish that dang dissertation proposal?
>>  >
>>  > STUDENT: Well, I hope....
>>  >
>>  > ME: As my old daddy used to say, hope in one hand and shit in the
>>  > other and see which fills up first.
>>  >
>>  > dInIs
>>  >
>>  > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  > >-----------------------
>>  > >Sender: American Dialect Society
>>  > >Poster: Wilson Gray
>>  > >Subject: Re: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and
>>  nuts...merry> > Christmas)
>>  > >----------------------------------------------------------------
>>  ---------------
>>  > >
>>  > >Re: An East Texas slogan: "has become his own bluebird on the
>>  ground."> >In black East Texas, the saying is: "has got a bird's
>>  nest on the
>>  > >ground." It's one of my mother's most annoying sayings,
>>  inasmuch as
>>  > >she never fails to credit it to her father, "As Daddy used to say,
>>  > >'You've got a bird's nest on the ground.'" FWIW, her father was
>>  born> >in 1877.
>>  > >
>>  > >-Wilson
>>  > >
>>  > >On 11/28/06, Bapopik at aol.com wrote:
>>  > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>  > > >>-----------------------
>>  > >> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>  > >> Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
>  > > >> Subject: Texas phrases (If ifs and buts were candy and
>>  nuts...merry> >> Christmas)
>>  > >>
>>  > >>---------------------------------------------------------------
>>  ----------------
>>  > >>
>>  > >> My website (_www.barrypopik.com_ (http://www.barrypopik.com)
>>  ) had 14,579
>>  > >> hits yesterday, on 5,667 visits. If this keeps up, I can
>>  afford a Texas
>>  > >> Jack-in-the-Box meal every day!...I still have NY ads in my
>Texas
>>  > >>section. So much
>>  > >> for Google keywords.
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> Maybe someone can help on Texas phrase (only cite):
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> 22 March 1975, Port Arthur (TX) News, "Don Meredith the actor
>>  -- the
>>  > >> only way is up," pg. 16:
>>  > >> Dandy Don, once described by a member of the press as
>>  resident humorist,
>>  > >> country philosopher and sometime Cosell-baiter during four
>>  seasons on ABC's
>>  > >> Monday Night Football, has become his own bluebird on the ground
>>  > >>-- an East Texas
>>  > >> slogan meaning he doesn't have to climb the tree to pick the
>>  eggs anymore.
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> I looked at the Yale Dictionary of Quotations, and "Don
>>  Meredith" is not
>>  > >> there. No "turn out the lights, the party's over"? So, I
>>  checked "Willie
>>  > >> Nelson," the song's author. No Willie Nelson??
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> No "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a
>>  merry Christmas"??
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >> FYI, some recent Texas phrase posts (any help appreciated):
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_ifs_and_buts_were
>_candy_an> >> d_nuts_wed_all_have_a_merry_christmas/_
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_ifs_and_buts_were_c
>andy_and_nuts_wed_all_have_a_merry_christmas/> >> )
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/stick_a_fork_in_him_
>hes_done/> >> _
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/stick_a_fork_in_him_he
>s_done/)> >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/turn_out_the_lights_
>the_party> >> s_over/_
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/turn_out_the_lights_th
>e_partys_over/)> >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/give_a_texan_an_enem
>a_and_you> >> _can_bury_him_in_a_matchbox/_
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/give_a_texan_an_enema_
>and_you_can_bury_him_in_a_matchbox/)> >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/i_wish_it_would_rain
>_not_for_> >> me_cuz_ive_seen_it_but_for_my_7_year_old/_
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/i_wish_it_would_rain_n
>ot_for_me_cuz_ive_seen_it_but_for_my_7_yea> >> r_old/)
>>  > >> ...
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>
>>>_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_god_didnt_want_us
>_to_eat_m> > > eat_he_wouldnt_have_invented_steak_sauce/_
>>  > >>
>>  >
>>  >>
>(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_god_didnt_want_us_t
>o_eat_meat_he_wouldnt_have_invented_steak_> >> sauce/)
>>  > >>
>>  > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
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>>  > >>
>>  > >
>>  > >
>>  > >--
>>  > >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
>>  complaint to
>>  > >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>  > >-----
>>  > >-Sam Clemens
>>  > >
>>  > >------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > --
>>  > It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
>>  > himself [sic] in his own true character - that is, as an
>>  ignorant man
>>  > thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
>>  > North Whitehead
>>  >
>>  > Dennis R. Preston
>>  > University Distinguished Professor
>>  > Department of English
>>  > Morrill Hall 15-C
>>  > Michigan State University
>>  > East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
>>  > Office: (517) 353-4736
>>  > Fax: (517) 353-3755
>>  >
>>  > ------------------------------------------------------------
>  > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>  > >
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
>>  complaint to
>>  come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>  -----
>>  -Sam Clemens
>>
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>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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