Jazz, was:RE: [ADS-L] Q: "Earliest written reference to baseball"

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Mar 16, 2011, at 8:31 AM, Larry Horn wrote:
>
> I've long suspected, although without checking with a native speaker, that innocent "spunk", as in "He's got a lot of spunk", is
> taboo-avoided in British English, while it barely raises an eyebrow
> on this side of the pond.

or raises no eyebrow at all.  the first episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show has an achingly funny job interview between Mary Richards (played by MTM) and Lou Grant (played by Ed Asner), with this exchange

Lou: You know what? You've got spunk.
Mary: Well, yes…
Lou: I hate spunk.

(and then of course he hires her). in this context, "spunk" is a bit slangy, but not suggestive.

arnold

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