FN + LN

[Jonathan Lighter]

I thought it was only in "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" (1962).

  This all reminds me of the habit of some speakers, frequently guests on the Springer show, to refer to themselves by their first name in the third person for dramatic emphasis. E.g., Billy Bob (or Betty Bob) says, "But Billy [or Betty] is too smart for 'em."

  I believe I once saw an ex. of this from the 1880s, but characteristically neglected to write it down, assuming that many others had already done so and having other freedom fries to fry.

  It's a kind of usage that self-dramatizing folk have undoubtedly been practicing since _ante_ Beowulf, but it would be nice to have citations.

  JL

Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Charles Doyle
Subject: Re: FN + LN
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Dick Nixon, whom we were supposed not to have to kick around anymore, did that often--perhaps as a result of some dissociative disorder . . . .

--Charlie
_____________________________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 08:37:28 -0700
>From: "Arnold M. Zwicky"
>Subject: Re: FN + LN
>
>On May 29, 2007, at 8:28 AM, Doug Harris wrote:
>
>> Don't we have a politician (is it Gore?) who's been recognized -- and ribbed by the likes of Jon Stewart -- for referring to himself that way?
>
>Bob Dole was famous for doing this.
>
>arnold

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