ADS-L on Language Log/cock

George Thompson george.thompson at NYU.EDU
Wed Jun 6 03:02:59 UTC 2007


Pronounced "Cock-burn" in Dublin, ca. 1904.  One of the barflies in Ulysses mentions someone named Cockburn and another barfly says he's only too familiar with him.

Not quoted exactly: there was a time when i had Ulysses (nearly) memorized -- that that I don't, now, is a sign that I really can say that I am a reformed english major.  A friend has been telling me I should say "recovering".

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 6:51 pm
Subject: Re: ADS-L on Language Log/cock
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU


> On Jun 4, 2007, at 11:58 AM, Larry Urdang wrote:
>
> > What about compounds like cock-a-hoop, cockamamie, peacock,
> > petcock, cockles (of one's heart), cockaleekie, etc., and, of
> > course, poppycock, the etymology of which is revealing to some?
>
> not to mention Alexander Cockburn.  it would be especially
> entertaining to see "****burn", since the c-o-c-k here is pronounced /
> ko/.
>
> arnold
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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



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