Antedating of Yeah

[Jonathan Lighter]

Maybe there was a big wind blowin' just then.

  JL

Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Mark Mandel
Subject: Re: Antedating of Yeah
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"Lorboard" ("larboard") I understand here, as a synonym for "port" 'left'.
But "to leeward"? That means 'downwind'. I wonder if Bynner knew that, or
just thought it was another one of those peculiar nautical synonyms for
"left" and "right".

m a m

On 10/18/07, Baker, John wrote:
>
>
> Bynner also used "yeah," but apparently only once and in
> dialect, in an earlier novel, Agnes Surriage (1886) (Google Books full
> text), which has a Massachusetts boy, asked if he can tell the way to an
> inn, say: "Yeah, can oi; g' down ther' by Skipper-r Pennel's, 'n' go
> off on th' lorboard tack till ye come to Moll Pitcher's; 'n' ther' ye'll
> see 't stret to leeward."
>
>

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