"erectile dysfunction" -- not for tender ears?

[Jonathan Lighter]

For some reason I can't imafgine, this went to Geoff instead of to everyone:

For all of you social theorists, the earliest "orgasm" derivitive appears
to be "wargasm" (1961), which is not in OED.

Back in the '60s it referred to a sudden, all-out thermonuclear exchange.
With gentle humor, of course.

 JL

On Sat, Jun 16, 2012 at 7:27 AM, Geoff Nathan <geoffnathan at wayne.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Geoff Nathan <geoffnathan at WAYNE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "erectile dysfunction" -- not for tender ears?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Actually, she wasn't prevented from saying 'vagina', she was censured for
> s=
> aying it, and not permitted to speak on a later, unrelated, topic. As was
> a=
> nother legislator: http://www.freep.com/article/20120615/NEWS06/206150329G=
> eoffrey S. Nathan Faculty Liaison, C&IT and Professor, Linguistics Program
> =
> http://blogs.wayne.edu/proftech/ +1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT) +1 (313)
> 577-8621=
>  (English/Linguistics) ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Victor Steinbok" <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2012 3:45:04 AM
> > Subject: Re: "erectile dysfunction" -- not for tender ears?
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: "erectile dysfunction" -- not for tender ears?
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > Well, the Florida House did try to censure a member for saying
> > "uterus"
> > on the floor. And yesterday, a Michigan Rep. was prevented from saying
> > "vagina" in her speech on an abortion bill. In every case, the prudish
> > element was Republican legislators.
> > VS-)
> > On 6/16/2012 1:54 AM, Geoffrey Nunberg wrote:
> > > This is two years old but I just ran into it. For the taboo
> > > avoidance file:
> > >
> > >> State employees, have no fear -- thanks to the General Assembly,
> > >> your health coverage will continue to cover drugs to treat erectile
> > >> dysfunction. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) had recommended cutting funding for
> > >> Viagra and similar drugs=EF=BF=BD The General Assembly agreed to
> resto=
> re
> > >> funding for the drugs=EF=BF=BDBut are lawmakers squeamish? When Kaine
> > >> recommended the cut, he spelled out the words "erectile
> > >> dysfunction." But in the assembly's budget, the pills are referred
> > >> to more obliquely as "ED drugs."
> > >> Rosalind Helderman, Washington Post
> > >>
> http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/03/general_asse=
> mbly_stands_firm_o.htm
> > > I'd have figured that anybody who's old enough to know what the
> > > words "erectile dysfunction" mean wouldn't have to be protected from
> > > them. Still, we're talking about the Virginia legislature here.
> > >
> > > Geoff
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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