porcinality (and synchronicity)

[Wilson Gray]

'Twas a *streetcar* conductor, George.

-Wilson

On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 5:27 PM, George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: porcinality (and synchronicity)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I read the Mark Twain essay no doubt 50 years ago, but remember it as if it were yesterday -- or, at least, only 49 years ago.  In any event, I think that the song referred to a railroad conductor punching the tickets of the passengers.
>
> GAT
>
> 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" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Date: Monday, October 5, 2009 4:31 pm
> Subject: Re: porcinality (and synchronicity)
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>> At 10/5/2009 01:54 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>> >--followed immediately by Joel's sent out at 1:05.  I had never heard
>> >of the Punch Brothers (or Chris Thile) and nor did I know to what
>> >Joel's "Punch, brothers, punch" alludes (evidently a Mark Twain
>> >description of the earworm phenomenon*), but I figure it's all a
>> >matter of the cosmic vibes.
>>
>> Larry, did you do the right thing and research the etymology of the
>> group's name?
>>
>> I sign off with the Zen valediction:
>>
>> Punch with care! (in the presence of the passenjare).
>>
>> Joel
>>
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--
-Wilson
–––
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.
–Mark Twain

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