Mutt

[George Thompson]

I believe that the passage from the Australian newspaper is directed
against what we now call feral dogs, not against what "wild dogs" in an
Australian context now brings to mind: dingoes.
One of the important crops of 19th C Australia was sheep, raised for their
meat, or mutton.  A domesticated dog, allowed to go feral, would become a
predator on the sheep.  Hence, a "mutton-hound".

Whether we can document that this is the origin of "mutt" remains to be
seen.  But it certainly seems more plausible than "muttonhead", derogatory
with reference to people, then coming to be applied to dogs.

GAT

On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 2:51 PM, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:

> See my 2004 post --
>
> http://tinyurl.com/cttwsep
>
> -- for my general thoughts which I think are similar to JL's.
>
> Here is one more item from 1900 (excuse me if it's been quoted before):
>
> ----------
>
> _New York Times_, '30 Oct. 1900': from Web archive, I don't see a page no.:
>
> <<"I t'ought dey was all me fren's," he said to the police, "but when I
> got in ter Mike's dese mutts dey tries to swoipe me dough. ....">>
>
> ----------
>
> As for why "mutt" has tended to be applied specifically to mongrel dogs,
> here is an item of possible tangential interest from Australia from 1927
> (from NLA archive):
>
> ----------
>
> _Western Mail_, Perth, W. A., 15 Dec. 1927: p. 44:
>
> <<Wild Dogs. / As regards vermin proof fences it is unfortunate that
> these are essential and some action should be taken by the Government to
> eradicate wild dogs on Crown lands. / This paper recently published
> photos of dogs at a kennel show and remarked that these were the sort of
> animals that gave the pastoralist bad dreams. The complete control of
> the dog question is a point that should be aimed at for, while granting
> the splendid characteristics of the canine race, if the opportunity be
> given, any dog from a wolf-hound downwards (we may except the Pekinese
> and his kind) will turn into a mutton hound. The country north of
> Yilgarn is a veritable breeding ground for wild dogs and the broken
> country between the settled parts and Mt. Churchman is the home of
> innumerable half bred dogs. The extended terms on which netting is now
> available should bring a vermin-proof fence within the reach of every
> settler who is otherwise in a position to carry sheep.>>
>
> ----------
>
> As for whether there is any evidence at all that "muttonhead" was
> shortened to "mutt", I don't know of any. Similarly, I have no evidence
> for "mutton dog/hound/lover" being shortened to "mutt". One can generate
> other speculations (e.g., at some times in some places the consumption
> of mutton was considered low-class and so derogatory "mutton eater" or
> so might have existed and might have been shortened). These speculations
> are fun and provide hypotheses to be checked against the available
> historical record.
>
> The 1898 citation which I presented in my 2004 post had "mut" referring
> to a poor newspaper boy. One can compare "tyke", which apparently meant
> "low-class dog", later "low-class person" and "[unfortunate] child".
> Perhaps the same progression occurred with "mutt" -- but only "perhaps",
> since so far evidence seems to be lacking!
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
> ------------------------------**------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much since then.

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