"Adj of a" in extremis

[Neal Whitman]

What about "how big of a fat jerk"? Or must the collocation "big fat" remain
intact?

Neal
----- Original Message -----
From: "Laurence Horn" <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 11:17 AM
Subject: "Adj of a" in extremis


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      "Adj of a" in extremis
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> From a blogger's posting on the Boston Globe web site on last night's
> game in which the Boston Celtics unexpectedly dominated the favored
> Cleveland Cavs, and on Charles Barkley's tendentious commentary on
> TNT:
>
> =========
> stakiinnh wrote:
> I was thinking this series was over after game 1. What an idiot. Back
> to Boston with a chance to take a commanding lead.
>
> How big fat of a jerk is Barkley? He should be forced to do the next
> broadcast in a Celtics uniform just to come close to evening up his
> thus far complete and unwarranted partiality for Cavs.
> ==========
> For me, "how big of a jerk" is fine and I wouldn't even blink too
> hard at "how fat of a jerk", but "how big fat of a jerk" definitely
> involves pushing the envelope.  Kudos to [I assume] Staki in New
> Hampshire!
>
> LH
>
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