"Instrument of nature", a euphemism, 1655

[Jonathan Lighter]

HDAS doesn't include "instrument" because it appears to be mostly an
um-literary term.

JL

On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 11:08 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Instrument of nature", a euphemism, 1655
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1655 seemed worth providing, since it's an interdating for
> "instrument" as the male organ between 1386 and 1749.  But I don't
> know what other examples the voluminous OED and HDAS databases may
> have, or if they may want to separate this organ from others in sense 4.
>
> Joel
>
> At 12/12/2010 10:36 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Thus the short form "instrument," as used by Miss Fanny Hill.  By whom I
> >mean her author, John Cleland. And other um-persons since.
> >
> >JL
> >
> >On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 11:14 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu
> >wrote:
> >
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> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > > Subject:      Re: "Instrument of nature", a euphemism, 1655
> > >
> > >
> >
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> > >
> > > At 9:26 PM -0500 12/11/10, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> > > >Wee p[re]sent Richard Turtall for laciuiouse carriage toward Ann
> > > >Hudson, the wife of John Hudson, in taking hold of her coate and
> > > >inticing her by words, as alsoe by taking out his instrument of
> > > >nature that hee might prevaile to lye with her in her owne house.
> > > >
> > > >1655 March 5.
> > > >Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, ed. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff
> > > >(Boston: William White, 1855), vol. 3, p. 97.
> > > >
> > > >I presume this is OED "instrument" sense 4., "A part of the body
> > > >having a special function; an organ. Obs."  Especially considering
> > > >that the earliest quotation is from the wife of
> > > >Bath:  "c1386  Chaucer Wife of Bath's Prol. 149  In wyfhode I wol vse
> > > >myn Instrument As frely as my makere hath it sent."
> > > >
> > > Sounds right.  And what better device to make a call of nature with
> > > than an instrument of nature?
> > >
> > > LH
> > >
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