shellacking

[Victor Steinbok]

 From my personal experience, I would find either restriction doubtful.
My own exposure to AAVE is limited and I've literally spent hours in the
"South" (suburban DC does not really count) and even that mostly driving
or flying through. Yet, even as a non-native speaker, I would describe
the expression as common, perhaps mostly in sports (ESPN) and business
(Dow Jones and other indexes) contexts, but there are not many other
contexts where it could be used--except, of course, elections ;-)

     VS-)

On 11/5/2010 6:07 AM, Charles C Doyle wrote:
> Obama's use of the gerund "shellacking" sounded so ordinary to me that I was surprised at all the attention the word is receiving!  I have known and used it (in that sense) all my life.
>
> Might it be limited (or have become limited since the 1920s), to Southern and African American dialects?
>
> --Charlie
>

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