Negative Nancies and other related musings

[Jonathan Lighter]

I'll see your Joe Sixpack and raise you Joe Blow.

JL

On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 8:15 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Negative Nancies and other related musings
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Has no-one yet mentioned the ancient John Doe and Richard Roe (both
> b. 1768) , and their surprisingly two-generation more ancient
> ancestor Jane Doe (b. 1703)?
>
> Joel
>
> At 3/20/2010 08:03 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Both GI J's (not just the dolls) can be applied to individuals. "John Law"
> >(usu.) and "John Q. Public" personify groups.
> >
> >JL
> >
>  >On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: Negative Nancies and other related musings
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Unless you mean the dolls, how are the GI J's significantly less
> generic
> > > than John Law? -- and why not John Q. Public?
> > >
> > > m a m
> > >
> > > On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > > >wrote:
> > >
> > > > Also GI Joe and GI Jane.
> > > >
> > > > I assume we're ignoring more abstract personifications like "John Q.
> > > > Public"
> > > > and "John Law."
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > >
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--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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