"hot corn"

[Joel S. Berson]

Not having HDAS on my desk, I ask:

"Hot stuff" in what sense?  As in the OED's " something of surpassing
excellence or merit; sometimes with implication of moral censure"?  I
was imagining the literal "hot lead", out of the pistols.

Joel

At 1/4/2008 12:13 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Cf. "hot stuff" in HDAS.
>
>   JL
>
>George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: George Thompson
>Subject: Re: "hot corn"
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Joel Berson suggests;
>Was "corn" ever used to describe a size of gun-shot? What was used
>in dueling pistols? In 18th century newspapers, hail was compared in
>size to marbles, or the eggs of various birds. There is also
>"grapeshot", and I imagine other terms describing size in terms of
>common objects.
>
>This is very likely; though perhaps the key word is "hot" -- the
>wish is, that both will get something hot.
>
>George A. Thompson
>Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre",
>Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Joel S. Berson"
>Date: Thursday, January 3, 2008 3:22 pm
>Subject: Re: "hot corn"
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>
> > At 1/2/2008 09:37 PM, George Thompson wrote:
> > >Not in HDAS, and not perfectly clear why it should mean what it seems
> > to mean:
> > >
> > > Some were so uncharitable as to say "I hope in God both may
> > > get their hot corn."
> > > New York Herald, August 28, 1841, p. 2, col. 1 [referring
> > > to a duel between August Belmont and a gentleman from South Carolina]
> > >
> > >Hot corn was sold from buckets on the streets, then, and was
> > >regarded as a summertime treat, at least for the lower orders.
> >
> > I assume it means "get their just deserves" :-)
> >
> > Was "corn" ever used to describe a size of gun-shot? What was used
> > in dueling pistols? In 18th century newspapers, hail was compared in
> > size to marbles, or the eggs of various birds. There is also
> > "grapeshot", and I imagine other terms describing size in terms of
> > common objects.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.orgWas
> "corn" ever used to describe a size of gun-shot? What was used
>in dueling pistols? In 18th century newspapers, hail was compared in
>size to marbles, or the eggs of various birds. There is also
>"grapeshot", and I imagine other terms describing size in terms of
>common objects.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
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