"Q: "show me out [something]" = show to me?

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Feb 6, 2008, at 8:47 AM, Andrea Morrow wrote:

>>       Doesn't it seem more likely that the speaker is asking to be
>> escorted out the back way (the postern)?
>>
>>
>> John Baker
>>
>
> Yes, that is how it seems to me, too - of the same type of
> construction as "show me out the door,"  meaning "walk with me to the
> door."

also the reading i got.  i can't get "show out" as a dative verb, with
any of the variants --
   *show out the problems to me / *show out to me the problems
   *show me out the problems

and google provides no credible examples.  "point out" works, though:
   point out the problems to me / point out to me the problems
   point me out the problems
(the last one seems very awkward to me, but there are quite a few
relevant examples you can google up via {"point me out a"}.)

plain "show" is, of course, usable as a dative verb.

arnold

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