Antedating of Bazooka(the instrument) 1918

[Joel S. Berson]

Absolutely.  The "two gas-pipes and a whiskey funnel" [OED 1935 for
the "musical" instrument] are two legs and a penis.

Joel

At 3/26/2007 12:39 AM, you wrote:
>I'm going to suggest another body part for the "bazooka" based purely
>on the formula in some medieval lit of describing someone in battle
>being split "from head to saddle": I think "bazooka" might be
>groin/penis. I really like the pattern of cleave-bazooka-falchion and
>the accent. "Cleave" and "falchion" I think really stick out in terms
>of the diction of the passage.
>
>---Amy West
>
>>P. G. Wodehouse, _The Swoop_ (1909) [Project Gutenberg] (Ch. 6):
>>
>><<"'Ow about not waiting, chaps?" he suggested. "I shouldn't 'arf wonder,
>>from the look of him, if he wasn't the 'aughty kind of a feller who'd
>>cleave you to the bazooka for tuppence with his bloomin' falchion. I'm
>>goin' to 'urry through with my dressing and wait till to-morrow night to
>>see how he looks. No risks for Willie!">>
>>
>>----------
>>
>>By analogy with the usual "cleave [someone] to the
>>brisket/waist/teeth/etc." I suppose "bazooka" here refers to a body part.
>>My casual guess would be that it's an alteration of "bosom" (cf. "bazooka"
>>= "bazoomba" = "bazoom" = "breast"). Any relation to the musical
>>instrument's name?
>>
>>-- Doug Wilson
>
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