pearl-clutching

[Garson O'Toole]

Here is a citation in 1934 (probably) that may help to illuminate the
genesis of the expression by providing a use of the phrase and the
stylized gesture in a play.

Title: Escape me never!: A play in three acts
Author: Margaret Kennedy
Publisher: W. Heinemann, ltd.
Date: 1934
(Google Books snippet view; Not verified on paper; Data may be inaccurate)

[Extracted text from GB]
The Butler enters, much dishevelled.
Butler If you will excuse, my lady, there has been a thief.
Lady M. [clutching her pearls] Good heavens!
Butler A strange girl has been found in the Signorina's room.
Sir Ivor A strange girl?

http://books.google.com/books?id=62fXr9nL1tcC&q=+dishevelled#search_anchor
http://books.google.com/books?id=62fXr9nL1tcC&q=clutching#search_anchor

The same author a few years earlier in 1930 (probably) used the same
scene. The 1934 (probably) play may be some kind of rewrite.

Title: The fool of the family: continuing the story of Sanger's circus
from "The constant nymph."
Author: Margaret Kennedy
Publisher: Doubleday, Doran, 1930
(Google Books snippet view; Not verified on paper; Data may be inaccurate)

[Extracted text from GB]
"If you will excuse, my lady, there has been a thief."
The goose shrieked and put a hand to her pearls to make sure that they
were still there.
"A strange girl has been found in Mademoiselle's room. If you will
excuse, I will send for the police."
"A strange girl? What strange girl? How did she get in?'
"Please, I think she came with the schools. There have three schools
come this afternoon. She has got in so."

http://books.google.com/books?id=NdceAAAAMAAJ&q=pearls#search_anchor

There is also a 1970 edition, so there is greater uncertainty about
the real date.

Title: The fool of the family.
Author: Margaret Kennedy
Publisher: London, Heinemann, 1970.


On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 1:15 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: pearl-clutching
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Arnold Zwicky wrote
>> i don't know how this posting got so messed up.  i suppose it's all decipherable -- but note that  everything in the posting is a forward from Chris Ambidge, except for the last bit (below), which is from me:
>>
>> On Aug 13, 2011, at 7:13 AM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
>>>
>>> "clutch the pearls" is in a few dictionaries of gay slang (in one,
>>> glossed as 'gasp'), but of course without citations or datings; these
>>> things are just lists of words and phrases.
>>>
>>> E. Patrick Johnson has a chapter on gay black discourse in Leap & Boellstorff (ed.), Speaking in Queer Tongues (2004), with several mentions of "clutch the pearls" (and the accompanying gesture) in this community.
>>>
>>> it also seems to have a history in the British gay cant Polari.
>
> Following the lead for "In Living Color" here is a citation in 1990
> from NewsBank Access World News:
>
> WHO'S THE JOKE ON, ANYWAY? DEBATING `IN LIVING COLOR'
> The Record (New Jersey) - Sunday, May 13, 1990
> Author: By Virginia Mann, Record Television Critic: The Record
>
> Antoine, played by David Alan Grier, says he has just three words to
> describe actor Ralph Macchio: fab-u-lous. And Blaine, one of the many
> creations of gifted comic Damon Wayans, thinks Glenn Close is a man.
> Otherwise informed, he squeals, "Well, clutch the pearls. What a
> sneaky thing to do."
>
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>

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