growler

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

    About 10 years ago I compiled information on "the growler" in an article that appeared in one of the volumes of Studies in Slang, which I edit (seven have appeared thusfar). I'm presently away from my research materials and therefore don't have the exact reference.
 
     The material presented in the article was furnished to me primarily by Barry Popik, humorously referrred to below as "an obscure researcher" (actually one of the most extraordinary of all word researchers).  IIRC besides "rush the growler" (send a child to fetch beer in a pail) there was a parallel "chase the duck," and I theorized that in "rush the growler" we deal with the imagery of a dog (growler) being sent to fetch a shot-down duck (beer).
 
    Also, IIRC, someone in ads-l questioned this interpretation, but I don't remember the details or if the objection was persuasive.
 
Gerald Cohen 
 
________________________________

From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Sam Clements
Sent: Sun 6/24/2007 1:34 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: growler

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Harbeck" <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:49 PM
Subject: growler

> Does anyone have any other info on it?
>
> James Harbeck.

An obscure researcher has done some work on this and can be found at
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/rushing_working_the_growler/

Samn Clements

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