Hail Columbia

[victor steinbok]

A follow-up on Shut the Door and similar constructions:

http://goo.gl/dwLON
How the Language Has Changed. George Sokolsky. Rome News-Tribune - Apr 25,
1951. p. 3/3
[Commenting on A Dictionary of Americanism on Historical Principles]

> So I found that "Hail Columbia" is a synonym for the expletive, "Hell!" and
> that took me back what seems to me to be a century of two when women used to
> say politely, "I'll give him Hail Columbia!" That was to avoid saying such a
> bad word as hell. Imagine what those sweet ladies would have thought if they
> heard what President Truman said about Drew Pearson and the kind of words
> that have to be used to get a good curtain on a second act.
>

VS-)

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