tight as a tick

[Dennis R. Preston]

Colleagues,

Here's a serious correction for the holidays: I don't know who this
"dInIs" is, but he cites me (Preston 1975) incorrectly (for both date
of publication and content). In that study I found "tight as a tick"
to refer to both stretched, taut, etc... (fitting the Couric use) as
well as drunkenness. The only restricted "tights" reported there are
"tight as a clam" and "tight as the bark on a tree," both of which
referred only to stinginess.

Dennis (R. Preston, not Baron, in fact, the Dennis descended from no
royalty whatsoever, even in family legend, in spite of the tendency
for most Hungarians to do so)

>I agree. Tight as a tick meant drunk only when I was a youngun and
>larnt the expression. It was also the only meaning I collected in a
>large number of proverbial comparisons reported in my 1980 article
>Proverbial comparisons from southern Indiana. Orbis 24,1:72-114.
>Sounds like Ms. Couric tryin to be home folks, but maybe the
>limitation to drunk is regional.
>
>dInIs
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Darla Wells <dlw3208 at LOUISIANA.EDU>
>>Subject:      tight as a tick
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>>
>>I was watching the news last night and saw that Katie Couric described the
>>South Carolina presidential race between Obama and Clinton as being "tight as
>>a tick." I always understood the expression to mean that someone had had too
>>much to drink. Interesting implications if it means what I was taught...
>>Darla
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>>The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.
>>         -- Linus Pauling
>>
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>
>--
>Dennis R. Preston
>University Distinguished Professor
>Department of English
>15C Morrill Hall
>Michigan State University
>East Lansing, MI 48824
>517-353-4736
>preston at msu.edu


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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