Hubba-hubba [Was: Aw, naw he di?n'!] (UNCLASSIFIED)

Mullins, Bill AMRDEC Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL
Thu Nov 18 15:34:19 UTC 2010


Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE


> -
>
> On Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 9:03 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Well-bred young women of the nineteenth century were taught never, never,
> > never, to "talk to strange men on the street."
> >
> > Because said strangers, by trying to (in a later idiom) "make a pass," were
> > betraying their own lack of breeding and a possible disposition toward
> > sexual predation. Furthermore, given the mores of the time, trying to pick
> > up a strange woman implied that one thought she was "no better than she
> > should be" (i.e., a slut or lower). Â This was regarded as an extreme
> insult=
> > .
> >
> > There was an excellent chance than a "masher" was also a dangerous drunk or
> > lunatic. Â Worse, he could be recruiting for a "white-slave ring."
> >
> > And as if that weren't enough cause for violent reactions, remember that
> > women were expected to be a little bit hysterical when flustered, and that =
> > a
> > drunk, a criminal, or a maniac would likely be deterred only by screams and
> > whacks.
> >
> > At least that's my understanding of America's formerly endemic masher
> > situation. We have quite gone beyond it.
> >
>

I always pictured Arte Johnson's pursuit of Ruth Buzzi on "Laugh In" as the classic masher.
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list