Butthole tree

[Joel S. Berson]

At 4/25/2012 02:15 PM, Eric Nielsen wrote:
>Yes, but as Jonathan Lighter noted earlier:
>
>"...The single exception is from the
>journal _Veneers and Plywood_ (apparently 1952), which refers casually to a
>hole in a tree trunk as a "butt hole."
>
>A butthole in a tree would later be a concern to those who fashion wood
>because they would have to work around it.

So would any burl (4.a. "A knot in wood (U.S.)"; also 1. "A small
knot or lump in wool or cloth").  So a butthole must be the term for
a particular kind (shape) of burl.  From its resemblance to ... butt-ocks.

Joel

>It sounds like some craftsman
>slang to me as in, "Oh no, another butthole, here".
>
>Eric
>On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 1:31 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Butthole tree
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > On Apr 25, 2012, at 12:37 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> >
> > > At 4/25/2012 12:03 AM, Eric Nielsen wrote:
> > >> Several images of a butthole tree:
> > >>=20
> > >> =
> > http://www.google.com/search?hl=3Den&q=3Dbutthole%20tree&gbv=3D2&safe=3Don=
> >
> &um=3D1&ie=3DUTF-8&tbm=3Disch&source=3Dog&sa=3DN&tab=3Dwi<http://www.google.com/search?hl=3Den&q=3Dbutthole%20tree&gbv=3D2&safe=3Don=&um=3D1&ie=3DUTF-8&tbm=3Disch&source=3Dog&sa=3DN&tab=3Dwi>
> > >=20
> > > =46rom the first page or two of these images, disregarding those that
> > > seem to have no relevance I think a butthole tree is simply a tree
> > > that has a burl that looks like a butt ("anus").
> > >=20
> > > Joel
> > >=20
> >
> > Indeed.  Compare, for example, this photo
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/uglyhat/14921479/
> > with this one
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonwhis/1251897389/
> >
> > Looks like free variation to me.
> >
> > LH
> >
> > >=20
> > >> Not sure why this person connected a butthole tree with something
> > >> disagreeable and made a video with this title, but...
> > >>=20
> > >> http://www.babygorilla.com/warehouse/art/buttholetree/butthole.html
> > >>=20
> > >> Maybe (tree) buttholes are a pain in the ass to deal with at the
> > >> sawmill because they spoil a section of the wood.
> > >>=20
> > >> Eric
> > >>=20
> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > >=20
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
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> >
>
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