"Stop digging."

[Jonathan Lighter]

My interpretation of "making waves" in the 1967 ex. is that it's like "cause
a stir."  In other words, the novel is likely to attract attention
specifically for being startling or controversial; i.e., annoying some
squares.

But I may be overanalyzing.  Also, the connotational shift we're talking
about is pretty subtle and could have occurred as soon as some publicist
thought it was time to replace "make a splash" with something newer but
reminiscent.


JL






On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 10:01 AM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Stop digging."
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Jonathan Lighter wrote
> > While "making a splash" is always good, in my experience "making waves"
> > always suggests trouble or at least annoyance for somebody somewhere.
> >
> > Or it used to.  It is possible that many younger speakers now interpret
> both
> > phrases as positive.
>
> In 1967 an article that consists of a series of short statements about
> forthcoming books says that one volume will "make waves". This is a
> positive assessment I believe.
>
> Cite: 1967 June 25, Los Angeles Times, "O'Hara Novel Due Nov. 23" by
> Gene Shalit, Page C32, Los Angeles, California. (ProQuest)
>
> Doubleday will make waves with "The Admiral," Martin Dibner's novel
> about Midway (October)
>
> Here is another example in 1967 of "making waves" presented
> positively, or at least non-negatively.
>
> Cite: 1967 December 30, New York Amsterdam News, PS by Cathy W.
> Aldridge, Page 7, New York. (ProQuest)
>
> If social histories are written at all – Christmas 1967 will make
> waves as the Pretty Party 'season in these parts - Aster and Fred
> Schjang gave one to inaugurate their new West Side co-op where
> songwriter BENNY BENJAMIN treated the close friends who gathered to an
> exceptionally rare "concert" - playing a guitar and singing his
> million dollar songs
>
> In the following example "making waves" is depicted as something
> positive from the point of view of the wave maker, Castro. He and his
> supporters selected the Spanish acronym/name "OLAS" for a conference.
> However, opponents of Castro would view this type of "wave making"
> negatively. This corresponds to Jon's notion of "trouble or at least
> annoyance for somebody somewhere".
>
> Cite: 1967 July 31, Los Angeles Times,  Reds Open Parley in Cuba Today
> to Promote Revolution by Ruben Salazar, Page 1, Los Angeles,
> California. (ProQuest)
>
> HAVANA—Having celebrated the 14th anniversary of Fidel Castro's July
> 26 Revolution, Cuba will launch a nine-day Communist conference today
> which it hopes will make waves throughout Latin America.
>
> The meeting of the Latin American Solidarity Organization (OLAS, which
> spells "waves" in Spanish) is Castro's public vehicle for promoting
> revolution in this hemisphere.
>
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