Bigfoot and Sasquatch

[Page Stephens]

Jon,

Unfortunately I am sitting at my computer doing my best to keep the
elephant and the hippo who just invaded my house to stop stomping on
everything in sight. In addition I am worried that their combined weight
might make my floor collapse.

If Bigfoot comes in, and he is staring through my back window, I know that
my floor will collapse immediately if the flying saucer which is hovering
outside above does not abduct them all in order to examine their sexual
organs. The aliens no longer have any interest in my sexual organs since
having abducted me ten times already  they have already examined me inside
and out.

The only thing which worries me now is -- my apologies to Spike Milligan --
is that the python which is wrapping its coils around my herculean frame is
attempting to crush my bones so that it can swallow me whole.

Perhaps the word we have to use for such sentences and not just words is
the word bullshit because since the sentences I have written above are
grammatically correct they don't make any sense any more than the words in
Lewis Carroll's most famous poem do.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
  The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
  The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
  Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
  And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
  The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
  And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
  The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
  He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
  Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
  He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
  Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
  And the mome raths outgrabe.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 3/24/2006 10:11:14 AM
> Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
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>
> I'd nominate "mythonym" -- if I thought we needed such a word.
>
>   JL
>
> Page Stephens <hpst at EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Page Stephens
> Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
>
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>
> Is there any word for words like Sasquatch, bigfoot, flying saucer, UFO,
> etc. which can be used in sentences but which have no relationship to
> anything which has been demonstrated to exist?
>
> This reminds me of an old story I once heard of about a seminar run by
> Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein in which Russell said something
> like, "There are no pink hippopotamuses in this room." in order to make a
> point at which point Wittgenstein began opening desk drawers and doing
> other things in order to determine the truth value of Russell's
proposition.
>
> I do not know it this is a true story or not but it pretty much accords
> with my ideas on the subject.
>
> Page Stephens
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Jonathan Lighter
> > To:
> > Date: 3/23/2006 7:51:04 PM
> > Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
> >
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> > Subject: Re: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
> >
>
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> ---
> >
> > IIRC, it was this incident that set off popular interest in the subject,
> though it didn't really take off until about 1967.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC"
> > Subject: Bigfoot and Sasquatch
> >
>
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> ---
> >
> > The OED has Sasquatch going back to 1929. It does not have an entry
> > for "Bigfoot", although it is used in quotes from 2000 (entry: "pepper"
> > v.), 2003 (entry: "picture" n.), and 1972 (under "yeti"); or "Big
> > Foot", although it is used in a quote from 1980 (entry: "yowie" n.).
> >
> > Bigfoot
> >
> > Nebraska | Lincoln | Lincoln Evening Journal | 1958-10-06 p. 9 col 3.
> >
> > [photo caption] "'BIGFOOT' REAL?-Plaster cast of a footprint 10 inches
> > long and 7 inches wide is held in Eureka, Calif., by Jerry Crew."
> >
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