those consort names again

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

Original message from Laurence Horn, Sun 8/31/2008 8:59 AM

<snip>
I see that Republican VP nominee-designate Sarah Palin's husband Todd
is known in Alaska as First Dude.   (And so is Gary Sebelius, whose
wife--the governor of Kansas--had been one of the dark horses rumored
to be under consideration by Obama.)

LH

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 
This is actually a very significant development in the history of "dude." In 1883 the term emerged from obscurity, bursting onto the national scene with the meaning (roughly) "brainless young man imitating British dress/speech/etc. and looking ridiculous in the process." In the late 19th century the dudes were a staple of humor for cartoonists and joke writers.
 
And now, after a long journey, "dude" has reached a social pinacle of sorts as the proud designation of the husbands of two woman governors.  For a parallel to such a moving development (and those of us who delve into word histories can get emotional about this), I know only of "hot dog" -- originally a rather disgusting term that gradually gained acceptance and reached a pinacle of social acceptability when the king and queen of England dined on "hot dogs" with President and Mrs. Roosevelt (June 21, 1939).
 
G. Cohen
 

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