The [1749 Cleland "freak out"] and friends

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Sun Oct 3 15:58:32 UTC 2010


A correspondent on another list has come up with several instances of
"freak out" between 1836 and 1916 (and says there are one or two
others), and we are uncertain whether they belong in:

(1)  "freak-out" = "An intense emotional experience", for which there
is a [1749] quotation from Cleland and then 1966; or
(2)  "to have a freak out" = to bring a caprice, a caper to a
conclusion", for which I find no citations in the OED.

The first two of the quotations my correspondent cites below probably
better fit the "freak" + "to have out" (to bring to a conclusion) of
the OED analysis than they do the noun "freak-out".  Viz. the OED:
      " Quot. 1749, an isolated use, is better analysed as a use of
the n. freak (sense 3) plus the verbal phr. to have out 'to bring to
a conclusion' (cf. OUT adv. 7b)."

"freak n[1]" sense 3 is "A capricious prank or trick, a caper."  Thus:

"But our hero had now had his freak out, and was anxious to return to
the  service and secure his promotion." is "But our hero had now
*brought his escapade to an end*"

And "But now that the lady yon mention has had her freak out, and
finds her grand project frustrated," is "But now that the lady yon
mention has *concluded her efforts*.

But the following from 1852 does seem to fit with "freak-out" = "An
intense emotional experience", and with the Cleland quote:

"I accordingly waited until he had his freak out, when I found that
he became more placid in his temper,"

"Freak n[1] sense 1 is "A sudden causeless change or turn of the
mind; a capricious humour, notion, whim, or vagary."

Thus this quote likely is "I accordingly waited until *his excessive
emotion was over*.

However, I think that in "a photograph of a drunken, boyish group
taken in a drunken, boyish freak out of which his own face laughed
fatuously up into mine," the "out of which" is a reference to the
photograph, and is not "a drunken, boyish freak out."  Imagine a
comma omitted after "freak".

Joel

At 10/3/2010 03:34 AM, Jim Chevallier wrote:
>In a message dated 10/2/2010 6:41:16 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
>Berson at ATT.NET writes:[referring to the 1749 Cleland quote]
> >"An isolated use," rather.  The next  quotation is 1966 (right on, Jim).
>
>Well, not quite:
>
>"But our hero had now had his freak out, and was anxious to return to the
>service and secure his promotion."
>
>_http://books.google.com/books?pg=RA1-PA75&dq=%22freak+out%22&ei=YC-oTKelMIe
>asAPQ2O2bDQ&ct=result&id=n1gMAAAAYAAJ#v=onepage&q=%22freak%20out%22&f=false_
>
>(http://books.google.com/books?pg=RA1-PA75&dq="freak+out"&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasAPQ2O2bDQ&ct=result&id=n1gMAAAAYAAJ#v=onepage&q="freak%20out"&f=false)
>
>
>Gentleman Jack: a naval story
>By William Johnson Neale
>1837
>
>"But now that the lady yon mention has had her freak out, and finds her
>grand project frustrated, "
>Tait's Edinburgh magazine
>By William Tait, Christian Isobel  Johnstone
>1840
>_http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA656&dq=%22freak+out%22&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasA
>PQ2O2bDQ&ct=result&id=AkMFAAAAQAAJ#v=onepage&q=%22freak%20out%22&f=false_
>(http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA656&dq="freak+out"&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasAPQ2O2b
>DQ&ct=result&id=AkMFAAAAQAAJ#v=onepage&q="freak%20out"&f=false)
>
>
>"I accordingly waited until he had his freak out, when I found that he
>became more placid in his temper,"
>The Squanders of castle Squander,  Volumes 1-2
>By William Carleton
>1852
>_http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA85&dq=%22freak+out%22&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasAP
>Q2O2bDQ&ct=result&id=BrcBAAAAQAAJ#v=onepage&q=%22freak%20out%22&f=false_
>(http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA85&dq="freak+out"&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasAPQ2O2bDQ
>&ct=result&id=BrcBAAAAQAAJ#v=onepage&q="freak%20out"&f=false)
>
>
>"a photograph of a drunken, boyish group taken in a drunken, boyish freak
>out of which his own face laughed fatuously up into mine. "
>The beloved son, Fanny Kemble Johnson
>1916
>_http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA172&dq=%22freak+out%22&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasA
>PQ2O2bDQ&ct=result&id=UmEeAAAAMAAJ#v=onepage&q=%22freak%20out%22&f=false_
>(http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA172&dq="freak+out"&ei=YC-oTKelMIeasAPQ2O2b
>DQ&ct=result&id=UmEeAAAAMAAJ#v=onepage&q="freak%20out"&f=false)
>
>
>There's one or two others. It seems like the term has had slightly varying
>meaning over several centuries.

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