1947 Archie Comic "butthole." What did it mean?

[Jonathan Lighter]

And you know what they say about theories.

JL

On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 7:08 PM, <sclements at neo.rr.com> wrote:

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> Subject:      Re: 1947 Archie Comic "butthole." What did it mean?
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> Definitely one of the competing theories.
>
> Sam Clements
>
> ---- J P Maher <devilsbit06 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> > There's is an aspect of A_Hole word that is being overlooked. Is the
> text literal or figurative? Archie means it literally, and in particular
> the butt end of a critter, not a human... I relate a classic moment form
> one of my classes. On the tangled subjects of diglossia and register, I
> wrote on the blackboard DENTIST and ask a la Socrates what kind of medic
> this was. Tooth doctor, the Socratically quizzed youngsters answered. I
> wrote on the board ORTHODONTIST. What kind of doctor is this? I got the
> correct answer. I went on to ask why Dr 2 also writes on his shingle the
> various services he performs, while Dr 1 does not. All were in agreement
> that everyone goes to the dentist, not everyone to the orthodontist. I
> added: it's also that dentistry is an old, nigh universally know branch,
> while orthodontia is younger and not so established: you learn the word
> when you get your first braces. I went on to write PROCTOLOGIST on the
> board ands asked why Dr 3 does
> >  not spell out his focus. Why not? A smart-ass answered in uninhibited,
> not unfriendly manner _ because he's an ass-holke doctor_. Class laughs.
> All but one, a foreign student from non -European land.He asks earnestly
> _Dr Maher, why is this doctor an ass-hole?- --- Class laughs.
> > ---Archie was speaking literally about meat animals, not metaphorically
> about people he disliked and, as is widely practticed in the world. in
> terms used primarliy for animals, not humans....
> >
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