Spreading da stink eye on da mainlend

[Benjamin Barrett]

Thank you for that follow-up.

On Maui, I hear the expression often enough from white people, and I forgot to mention this teller is white as well.

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Jul 21, 2011, at 1:51 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> The HDAS files have several exx. beginning in  1985. One refers to ca1970.
>
> The distribution is clearly Southern California/Hawaii, esp. among Asian
> Americans.
> If that isn't over-interpreting the limited data.
>
> JL
>
> On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 4:14 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:
>
>>
>> The teller at the drive-through where I go with my dogs clearly has a
>> Southern accent.
>>
>> As I'm working on the ATM, one of my dogs pleads with his eyes and
>> sometimes his bark for her to come out and give him snacks.
>>
>> She has said on more than one occasion that my dog is giving her "the stink
>> eye," a common Hawaiian expression meaning "dirty look." Today, I asked her
>> where she picked that up, and she said she used to live on Maui.
>>
>> I think this is an expression with great potential on the mainlend.
>>
>> Benjamin Barrett
>> Seattle, WA

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