Tough Guy Phonology

[Wilson Gray]

"... reached Camp Devens in a very dissatisfied frame of mind ..."

I can relate to that! I was there ca.forty years later, by which time
it was Fort Devens, but people were still reaching there in a very
dissatisfied frame of mind. I could tell you stories. It was at
Devens, in reference to Devens, that I first heard the phrases,
"asshole / armpit of the universe."

-Wilson

On 5/25/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Tough Guy Phonology
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Proof of what we already knew :
>
>   1918  _The Outlook_ (Oct. 2) 185 : Ginger came from the gas-house section of New York, and he reached Camp Devens in a very dissatisfied frame of mind....Ginger acquired a reputation as a tough guy because he said "dis" and "dat" and "thoity-thoid."
>
>   "T'oidy-t'oid" would have sounded tougher.
>
>   JL
>
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