"like," intrans.

[Wilson Gray]

Don't forget MadTV's "Dixie Wettworth(sp?)" character, who, as she
showed off her body, tanned to a beef jerky-like consistency, always
used the catchphrases, "*You* like? *I* like!" And SNL's Cheri Oteri
used, "Oooh! Mama like!" as the catchphrase of one of her characters.

-Wilson

On 9/19/06, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "like," intrans.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sep 19, 2006, at 11:23 AM, David Sutcliffe wrote:
>
>
> >  What about the invitation to "Enjoy!". I first noted Americans
> > using this about
> > 10 years ago, and I had the impression it was urban and or Jewish
> > in feel.
>
> i've heard it for fifty years, usually in a jewish context.  here's
> the OED:
>
> DRAFT ADDITIONS JUNE 2003
>
>      enjoy, v.
>
>   [In later use, prob. after dialectal Yiddish genist.] In imper.,
> with ellipsis of object: take pleasure in the thing (freq. food or
> drink) being presented.
>
> 1876 H. JAMES Roderick Hudson ix, Don't mind the pain, and it will
> cease to trouble you. Enjoy, enjoy; it is your duty. 1959 H. GOLDEN
> For 2¢ Plain II. 92 When my mother served our meals..she would always
> say, 'Enjoy, enjoy'... The word 'enjoy' was seldom used by itself. It
> was always repeated. 1964 Prevention July in L. M. Feinsilver Taste
> of Yiddish (1970) 306 Just read, enjoy, absorb! 1985 L. SANDERS
> Fourth Deadly Sin v. 41 'Spend money', he said. 'Enjoy.' 1998 30 All
> Time Great Recipes (BBC Good Food) Autumn 1/1 We hope that in this
> selection, you will rediscover some old friends--and make some new
> ones as well. Enjoy!
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
-Wilson
----
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.

--Sam Clemens

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