Contemporary slang bites the big one

[James Smith]

Just for clarification, is the subject here the use of
"bit" as opposed to "bites"?.  The latter is common in
these types of phrases: TTBOMK, "bites" has been in
such usage since at least the 60s.  The 1978 quote
sounds very natural to me, speaking of a past event
that would have been described with "bites" at the
time it happened.

--- Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM> wrote:

> On Sat, May 13, 2006 at 06:30:54PM -0400, Benjamin
> Zimmer wrote:
> > On 5/13/06, Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > >On Sat, May 13, 2006 at 05:58:47PM -0400,
> Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
> > >>  *That really bit.
> > >
> > >This is non-asterisked in my idiolect.
> >
> > Well, perhaps it deserves a question mark if not
> an asterisk. I see
> > HDAS has a relevant cite from 1978 ("Door-to-door
> really bit on a cold
> > day").
>
> Here are two more from our files:
>
> 1998 Time Out N.Y. 31 Dec. 86/1 I'm told the book on
> which it
> was based, _A Prayer for Owen Meany,_ was quite
> good. Well, the
> movie bit. I cut out early.
>
> 2002 Washington Post (Home ed.) 18 Jan. C8/2 Your
> attitude..was, and is, brilliant, clap clap clap.
> But your
> delivery totally bit.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
> OED
>
>
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> The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
>


James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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