Strokin' (Was: Re: WOTY)

[Wilson Gray]

A friend of mine refers to porn mags as "stroke books."

WRT the strokes in "different strokes," I've always assumed that the
only real function of "strokes" was to form a rhyme with "folks."
Hence, it can be folk-etymologized into any meaning that grooves the
speaker or the hearer.

IIRC, someone here dated the saying to Mohammed Ali in 1965. He could
be asked what he meant by "strokes," I reckon.

-Wilson

On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 12:47 PM, Neal Whitman <nwhitman at ameritech.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
>  Subject:      Strokin' (Was: Re: WOTY)
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  One time I said, "Well, different strokes for different folks," and my mom
>  said, "You know, for years I never realized that was a sexual reference."
>
>  I said, "Really? Wow, I always thought it referred to swimming!"
>
>  Neal
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: "LanDi Liu" <strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM>
>  To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 10:34 AM
>  Subject: Re: WOTY
>
>
>  > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>  > header -----------------------
>  > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  > Poster:       LanDi Liu <strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM>
>  > Subject:      Re: WOTY
>  > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  >
>  > I've never heard "strokin'" used referring to sex (aside from jerking
>  > off).  Has anybody else?
>  >
>  > On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 4:09 AM, Brenda Lester <alphatwin2002 at yahoo.com>
>  > wrote:
>  >> ---------------------- Information from the mail
>  >> header -----------------------
>  >>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  >>  Poster:       Brenda Lester <alphatwin2002 at YAHOO.COM>
>  >>  Subject:      Re: WOTY
>  >>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>
>  >>  I second that emotion.
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>  RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
>  >>   ---------------------- Information from the mail
>  >> header -----------------------
>  >>  Sender: American Dialect Society
>  >>
>  >> Poster: RonButters at AOL.COM
>  >>  Subject: WOTY
>  >>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>
>  >>  I vote for "sassified" ... See
>  >>
>  >>  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGVnH39UzI8
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>  **************
>  >>  Ideas to please picky
>  >>  eaters. Watch video on AOL Living.
>  >>
>  >>
>  >> (http://living.aol.com/video/how-to-please-your-picky-eater/rachel-campos-duffy/2050827?NCID=aolcmp00300000002598)
>  >>
>  >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>
>  >> ---------------------------------
>  >>  Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo!
>  >> Search.
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>  >>
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > --
>  > Randy Alexander
>  > Jilin City, China
>  >
>  > ------------------------------------------------------------
>  > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>  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