MILF (was Re: change from the bottom up)

[David Bowie]

From:    James Harbeck <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>

<snip>

> I'd like to add that I don't see a clear justification for the
> phrasing outside of the "motherfucker"/"fuck your mother" reference,
> and that pretty much anyone habituated to vulgarity is bound to think
> of the term "motherfucker" the moment they hear the phrase "mother
> I'd like to fuck."

Well, i'll admit that i was probably thinking of people behaving a bit
more rationally than they often do in my previous post (particularly
with regard to language, and especially taboo language), but i'll raise
my hand as someone who had *never* considered a connection between
motherfucker and MILF before it was raised on this list.

They're just completely separate spheres to me: Motherfucker describes a
male (even when used as a term of friendly greeting--"Hey, motherfucker,
what's up?" has to be directed to a man, not a woman, for me) or a
thing, while MILF describes a female.

Of course, i learned what MILF meant (as in: hot [relatively] older
woman) before i ever learned what it was an acronym for. I don't know
how common or uncommon that is. (And i never saw American Pie.)

Makes me almost sad that classes just ended here--i'd've liked to have
polled my students on this one.

--
David Bowie                               University of Central Florida
     Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
     house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
     chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.

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