Half a pair of buttoxes

[Dennis Preston]

I have been in MI so long that the sex-neutral "guy" does indeed fall
out of my typing (perhaps even my mouth) from time to time.

dInIs



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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Half a pair of buttoxes
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 10:31 AM -0500 2/14/08, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>>Why go for them French guys when there are good examples in AmerEng?
>
>I note dInIs's use of the sex-neutral referential "guy" here, since
>as we all know the single-buttocked character in Candide was of the
>female persuasion.  (Did she have a name, or was she just "la
>Vielle"?)  I recall the tale of her lost buttock was a rip-roarer,
>but the details elude me.  Ah well, I have a copy of the book on some
>shelf or other.
>
>LH
>
>>If you are as old as me Or close to it), you will remember the
>>politically incorrect "Little Moron" jokes. One went like this:
>>
>>Q: Why did the Little Moron saw his toilet seat in two?
>>
>>A: 'Cause he heard his half-assed relatives were coming to town.
>>
>>Sigh! Our lost humor.
>>
>>dInIs
>>
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>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>>Subject:      Re: Half a pair of buttoxes
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Why, yes.  Did you think my proscriptivist decrees arbitrary?
>>>
>>>    JL
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
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>>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>Poster: Charles Doyle
>>>Subject: Half a pair of buttoxes
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Like that character in _Candide_.
>>>
>>>--Charlie
>>>_____________________________________________________________
>>>
>>>---- Original message ----
>>>>Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 06:46:15 -0800
>>>>From: Jonathan Lighter
>>>>Subject: Re: crunk
>>>>
>>>>   And Grant, won't you help us protect the precision of our English
>>>>language by restricting the use of "half-assed" to describe persons
>>>>having but one buttox?
>>>>
>>>>   JL
>>>
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>>
>>
>>--
>>Dennis R. Preston
>>University Distinguished Professor
>>Department of English
>>15C Morrill Hall
>>Michigan State University
>>East Lansing, MI 48824
>>517-353-4736
>>preston at msu.edu
>>
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--
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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