Whiz

[Wilson Gray]

Yes, damn it! I do! I can even remember when the sight of a female
kneecap would cause a man a myocardial infarction. And they don't even
notice! I once showed my wife a still from a '50's SF movie and asked
her what the only thing that was "predicted" in that picture had
actually come true. She studied the photo and saw nothing. The
"prediction" that had come true, glaringly obvious to me, whose
adolescence was encompassed by the
hem-no-higher-than-six-inches-from-the-floor days of the New Look, was
that, in the future, every young woman's thighs would be visible for
far more than fifteen minutes.

-Wilson

On 9/27/07, Dennis Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dennis Preston <preston at MSU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Whiz
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> What! Wilson surely you go back to "powder my nose" (if not
> "straighten the seams on my stockings").
>
>
> dInIs
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> >Subject:      Re: Whiz
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >I once heard a woman say, "take a dump." It sounded gross.
> >Fortunately, I've not had the displeasure of hearing a woman use any
> >of the other forms. That may seem a little prissy, but, once upon a
> >time, even hearing a woman say, "I have to go to the bathroom,"
> >grossed me out. The only proper usage for women for me, at one time,
> >was, "Excuse me."
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> >
> >
> >On 9/26/07, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>  Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> >>  Subject:      Re: Whiz
> >>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >>
> >>  OK, a person (at least a male; do the same expressions commonly
> >>refer to female activities of the corresponding sort?) can "take a
> >>X"; X can be "whiz" or "leak" or "piss" or "pee" or "shit" or
> >>"dump" or "dooky" or possibly other eliminations of a nether
> >>sort--but NOT *"turd" or *"urine."
> >>
> >>  The object of "take" designates an action (an act of X-ing), not
> >>just the substance deposited. Even though the permissible X's are
> >>clearly nouns (preceded by the definite article), the allowable X
> >>words can, in other environments, function as verbs, whereas "turd"
> >>and "urine" can't.
> >>
> >>  There must be exceptions or outright contradictions to this little
> >>hypothesis!
> >>
> >>  And then there are upper-body eliminations: We can't *"take a
> >>spit" or *"take a vomit." In our expressions, "take" seems to imply
> >>premeditation, deliberation, perhaps even a certain formality.
> >>
> >>  --Charlie
> >>  _____________________________________________________________
>
> >>
> >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >--
> >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
> >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> >-----
> >                                               -Sam'l Clemens
> >
>
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> --
>
> Dennis R. Preston
> University Distinguished Professor
> Department of English
> Morrill Hall 15-C
> Michigan State University
> East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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