"wear out stay"

[hpst@earthlink.net]

Here is a reference to the classic play and movie, The Man Who Came to
Dinner, based on Alexander Woolcott, who was known for such behavior and
who was apparently proud of it since he played Sheridan Whiteside the
character based on him on stage.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033874/

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 3/30/2006 11:13:30 PM
> Subject: Re: "wear out stay"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "wear out stay"
>
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>
> On 3/30/06, William Salmon <william.salmon at yale.edu> wrote:
> >
> > An AP headline today reads: "Katrina Evacuees Wear Out Stay in Houston"
> >
> > "Wear out welcome" yes, but I've never heard of wearing out stays.  Does
> > anyone know where this "stay" variety hails from?
>
> Sounds like a blend of "wear out one's welcome" and "overstay/outstay
> one's welcome". (It also sounds like abbreviated headlinese, even
> though online headlines usually aren't subject to the same space
> limitations as their print equivalents.)
>
> Google favors "welcome" over "stay" by a ratio of better than 1500 to 1:
>
> "wear|wears|wearing|wore out my|our|your|his|her|their stay": 134 Ghits
> "wear|wears|wearing|wore out my|our|your|his|her|their welcome": 208,000
Ghits
>
>
> --Ben Zimmer
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org