Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

He'd be 126 in February.

  JL

Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)
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Good point! How soon they forget! Horse-drawn vehicles commonly shared
even big-city streets with motor-driven vehicles till some time after
The War and the horse-apple and its pungent odor were not unfamiliar
to the townsman. (Here, I make the unwarranted, but hopeful,
assumption that Jon's grandfather is older than I am.)

-Wilson

On 9/29/07, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
> Subject: Re: Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Like my grandfather. In those pre-auto days you could be a shitkicker in NYC as well, literally if not figuratively.
>
> JL
>
> Dennis Preston
wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Dennis Preston
>
> Subject: Re: Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Us shit-kickers always "saw a man about a dog."
>
> dInIs
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender: American Dialect Society
> >Poster: Wilson Gray
> >Subject: Re: Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Somehow, even though I'm from regions where the mule was the equine of
> >choice, except in the city of Saint Louis, where only horses were
> >used, I've always heard this expression as "see a man about a
> >_horse_." So far, I've never heard a woman use either version and,
> >with luck, I never will. Ugh! :-)
> >
> >-Wilson
> >
> >On 9/28/07, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >> Sender: American Dialect Society
> >> Poster: "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC"
> >> Subject: Re: Whiz (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >> Caveats: NONE
> >>
> >> A lady (and I use the word in its best sense) I used to work with once
> >> told me she "had to go see a man about a mule". It took a while for me
> >> to figure out that she went to the bathroom.
> >>
> >>
> >> >
> >> > 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
> >> > >Poster: Wilson Gray
> >> > >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 wrote:
> >> > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> > >>-----------------------
> >> > >> Sender: American Dialect Society
> >> > >> Poster: Charles Doyle
> >> > >> 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
> >> >
> >> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> >> Caveats: NONE
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> 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
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
>
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--
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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