Q: "lake and stars", Victorian euphemism?

[Joel S. Berson]

At 6/23/2009 03:26 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Sounds like more BS to me. The Victorians didn't need such a euphemisim
>because either they wouldn't refer to such a thing (officially it wasn't
>supposed to exist) or else, in earthy situations, they would use the real
>words.

Wouldn't surprise me.  But if Jon can write "officially it wasn't
supposed to exist", then he must have had something ("it") in
mind.  If he only could name it.for us.  :-)

I note also that "a woman's talent in bed" sounds like a post-modern euphemism.

Joel


>JL
>
>On Tue, Jun 23, 2009 at 2:45 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Q: "lake and stars", Victorian euphemism?
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > At 2:26 PM -0400 6/23/09, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> > >A friend has asked me about the origins of "Lake and Stars, which
> > >references an old Victorian euphemism for a woman's talent in
> > >bed".  Very close to my friend's words (except for the
> > >capitalization), but these are quoted from "Kenya's Style", on a line
> > >of lingerie.
> > >
> >
> http://www.kenyasstyle.com/blogs/kenyasstyle/2009/06/todays-pick-the-lake-and-stars.html
> > >
> > >Google Web seems swamped with pages where the context is underwear.
> > >
> > Could this be Cockney rhyming slang?  If so, for what?
> >
> > LH
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org