derry-do

[Joel S. Berson]

Confusing "derring do" with "derry down (derry)"?  Both seen as
involving escapades?

But hey nonny-nonny.  Or as Harper's said:

1881 Harper's Mag. June 54 The fading is the name of an Irish dance,
but 'with a fading' seems to have been used as a burden to various
songs, in the same was as 'Derry down,' 'Hey nonny nonny no,' etc.

Joel

At 9/24/2010 12:47 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Not "Derrida":
>
>2003 [http://www.vdare.com/pb/derrydo.htm] (Sept. 25): Derry-do on the
>frontier.
>
>2007 [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053108/usercomments?start=10] (Sept. 7):
>The plot, apparently based on some real life derry-do, is nonetheless
>implausible, jocularity trumping rank structure and cultural norms.
>
>The 2003 ex. puportedly appeared in the Times (London) in 1986.
>
>JL
>
>
>--
>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org