scoff/scarf

[Jonathan Lighter]

CB glossaries (remember them?) favored a generic "choke & puke."

JL

On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 3:05 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: scoff/scarf
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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:
> >
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> >>  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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