sherpas, sherpa guide

[Doug Harris]

Who'd have known there was a definition for people from a
specific place who 'have an accent and walk slowly'? Are
their specific descriptives for people from, say, Canada, or
Brazil? Or anywhere else, for that matter?
dh

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----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Herb Stahlke" <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Received: 5/18/2009 12:43:33 PM
Subject: sherpas, sherpa guide


>In an MSNBC report on the Obama-Netanyahu meetings a reported said,
>"The sherpas prepared well..," presumably referring to the staffs of
>the two leaders.  Urban Dictionary lists "sherpa" and "sherpa guide."
>"Sherpa" is defined as "A lady's shaggy-haired NEPALESE FRIEND; the
>constant FEMALE MENTOR who, from an entrenched, central vantage-point,
>influences all her thoughts and actions; her bearded ALTER EGO and
>beating heart; her GUSSET GURU."  Two other definitions reference
>mountain climbing guides, an obvious extension, and "short Philipino
>people who have accents and walk slowly."  "Sherpa guides" has a
>definition that's closer to the reporter's usage, an aide and
>sometimes eminence grise to a public figure.  The term was new to me,
>apart from its use a the name of a people living around Everest.

>Herb

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

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