Early "wimp"

[Wilson Gray]

There really are, unfortunately, many annoying (to me) people who say
"whimp," even though they otherwise fail to distinguish "which," from
"witch," etc. Well, what can you do?

As a child, I thought that Fibber & Molly lived on a street named
"Wiss Vo Vista." Of course, the street was actually named "Wistful
Vista."

-Wilson

On 10/25/06, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Early "wimp"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Worth noting that OED gives "wimpish little men in spectacles" from Sinclair Lewis's _Arrowsmith_, 1925.
>
> Searchers should be aware of "whimp" as an occasional spelling--whether or not it indicates an hful pronunciation.
>
> --Charlie
> ___________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:42:39 -0700
> >From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> >Subject: Early "wimp"
> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >
> >
> >George Ade used "wimp" in the '20s, a uniquely early ex. Here's one that comes as the nickname of the milquetoast character "Wallace Wimple" on the very popular _Fibber McGee and Molly_ radio show:
> >
> >  1942 _Fibber McGee & Molly_ (Apr. 7) [modern transcript here:  www.genericradio.com/images/Fibber_Scrap_Drive.pdf ]: Wimple: ...I went down this morning and tried to join the Marines. Sweety-face [his wife] went with me to give her consent.  Fibber: Did they take you, Wimp? ... You mean Sweety-face is in the Marines now, Wimp? ... Go see Doc Coddem, Wimp. ... Naw, we're all finished, Wimp.  [Etc.]
> >
> >  I don't know if the name "Wimp" was broadcast before this episode.
> >
> >  Interestingly enough, HDAS's next ex. of "wimp" comes from an account of the Marines on Guadalcanal published in 1943.  The word is very rare in print before the mid '60's.
> >
> >  Wallace Wimple's voice is more or less identical to that of absurdly retiring and incompetent males in Merrie Melodies cartoons.
> >
> >  JL
>
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--
Everybody says, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is knows how deep
a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our
race. He brought death into the world.

--Sam Clemens

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