Heard in Missouri: "but good!"

[Paul Johnston]

I have.  And Northern Illinois, too.

Paul Johnston
On Dec 19, 2007, at 6:03 PM, David Donnell wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       David Donnell <David.Donnell at EARTHLINK.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Heard in Missouri: "but good!"
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>
> The obvious question: when you say you never thought of it as
> regional, have you heard it 'up' in Michigan?
>
> DD
>
> At 12:30 PM -0500 12/19/07, Dennis Preston wrote:
>> I am a native speaker of it, as were my parents and pert night
>> everbody around me (Louisville area, early 1940s on). Never thought
>> of it as regional.
>>
>> dInIs
>>
>>
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       David Donnell <David.Donnell at EARTHLINK.NET>
>>> Subject:      Heard in Missouri: "but good!"
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> -----------
>>>
>>> Question about an expression I just heard: "but good!"
>>>
>>> I just returned from St Louis where I was visiting my 88 yr old
>>> mother. (Born & raised in southeast Missouri, near Cape Girardeau.)
>>>
>>> Addressing me and her friend/contemporary, my mom related a
>>> conversation about someone's 16 yr old daughter: the girl had stayed
>>> out until 3 a.m., sans permission, with her cell phone turned off...
>>> Very worrisome to the parents, natch.
>>>
>>> My mom's friend then asked if the girl would be punished. My mom
>>> responded, "I asked [the father] if she was grounded...he said BUT
>>> GOOD!"
>>>
>>> The expression never registered with me before, although it sounded
>>> familiar rolling off her tongue; it apparently means something like
>>> "and how!"
>>>
>>> Is anyone familiar with this critter?
>>>
>>> (Hard to Google such a ubiquitous 2-word combo.)
>>>
>>> DD
>>> Missouri-native in NYC
>>>
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>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>
>> --
>> Dennis R. Preston
>> University Distinguished Professor
>> Department of English
>> Morrill Hall 15-C
>> Michigan State University
>> East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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