Traditional turn of phrase

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 10/25/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
[Woody Guthrie:]
>  "Well, the blues is [...] just plain old bein' lonesome....Thinkin' maybe that you
> - you know, down and out and disgusted and busted and can't be trusted, why,
> gives you a lonesome feeling."
>
>   A search reveals a mere dozen or so Googlits of "disgusted, busted, (and)
> can't be trusted." Sometimes "busted" comes first, sometimes "broke" is
> added initially.

You'll find more exx by inverting "busted" and "disgusted". Perhaps
the best known variation is in the song "Creeque Alley" by The Mamas
and The Papas: "Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted."

Hmm, someone's even registered this domain name:
http://www.busteddisgustedandcantbetrusted.com/


--Ben Zimmer

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