"moist" yet again

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Sat Oct 30 21:13:51 UTC 2010


"... there is for the most part, an incongruity between a mans hair,
and a womans Complexion: and between a Womans hair, and a Mans
Complexion: The hair of Women being suitable to their soft, moist,
cold Constitution, but not to the Masculine hot and dry Constitution."

No wonder women don't like the adjective "moist", it being associated
with a "soft" and "cold" constitution!  And from 1703.

Rev. Mr. Nicholas Noyes,* "Reasons against Mens Wearing of Periwiggs
made of Womens hair, as the custom now is, deduced from Scripture and
Reason."  Manuscript transcribed by Samuel Sewall, January 15,
1702/3.  In Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts,
Volume 20, Transactions 1917-1919 (1920), Worthington C. Ford,
"Sewall and Noyes on Wigs", p. 124.

  * Yes, the notorious Rev. Noyes of the Salem witch trials.  See
Sibley's Harvard Graduastes, 2:239, or my cited source, pp.
117-119.  (But not Wikipedia.)

Joel

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list