scoff/scarf

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:27 AM -0500 1/25/10, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Both _scoff_ and _scarf_ are known in the US.  _Scoff_ used to be (a hundred
>and more years ago) associated with deep-sea sailors. _Scarf_ (perhaps
>surprisingly) first shows up in AAVE and begins to move into WAVE in the
>'60s.
>
>Or so the limited records indicate.
>
>JL

I think it was in the mid-'70s that I informally proposed Scarf 'N'
Barf as a good name for one of my unsuccessful (but honestly
publicized) fast-food chains. (Its major competitor was the Slurp 'N'
Burp.)  A Scoff 'N' Boff franchise would feature...other offerings.

LH

>On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 1:11 AM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
>>  Subject:      Re: scoff/scarf
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  I knew and used only "scarf."  OED has scoff/scaff/scarf, giving
>>  "scoff" as the dominant variant of "scaff" and "scarf" as an American
>>  variant.  I just came across "scoff" in RA Delderfield's _To Serve
>>  them all my Days_, p. 87, "to scoff tea and chudleys."  I don't know
>>  if that's St. Louis usage, though.
>>
>>  Herb
>>
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