"The stroll"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Place, 1950s or '60s.

JL


On Thu, Dec 26, 2013 at 11:19 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "The stroll"
>
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>
> Jon, when you say
>
> At 12/26/2013 11:18 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Joel is right. HDAS has "stroll," n. (in print) only from the '50s or
> '60s.
>
> do you mean, from the HDAS crypt, in the sense of place (Donald
> McCaig's question) or of action (Wilson's contribution)?  And do you
> mean the 1950s-60s, or the 1750s-60s (close to Wilson's find), or the
> 1650s-60s (close to popularization of "the Mall")?
>
> Joel
>
>
> >Earlier nominal usage (and not very frequent in print) was the more or
> less
> >standard "beat," though the 1796 ex. is an unusually valuable early one
> for
> >the idiomatic phrase, _on the stroll,_ 'seeking customers as a
> >streetwalker.'
> >
> >JL
> >
> >
> >On Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 8:14 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >
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> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      Re: "The stroll"
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Mr. Doe (and I'm grateful that you're not signing
> > > your messages "John"), if I understand the
> > > original question correctly, Donald McCaig is
> > > asking about "the stroll" meaning a place.  Your
> > > find, while very useful, I think has the sense of an action.
> > >
> > > A facetious comment -- perhaps "the stroll"
> > > undertook the sense of a place when "the Mall"
> > > became common usage?  (The OED tells me in the 1660s or 1670s.)
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
> > > At 12/25/2013 08:31 PM, John Doe wrote:
> > >
> > > >It's been in use for centuries. And a prostitute doesn't simply stand
> > > >there. She literally strolls up and down, so as to show off the goods,
> > > >displaying herself to potential clients who want to "dig that action,"
> > > i.e,
> > > >see the movement of her lower body as she walks.
> > > >
> > > >An Apology for the Bible: In a Series of Letters, Addressed ... -
> Pages
> > > >99-100
> > > >books.google.com/books?id=-NoMAAAAIAAJ
> > > >Richard Watson - 1796 - Read - More editions
> > > >"... Mary Magdelene ; she was a woman of a large acquaintance, and it
> was
> > > >not an ill conjecture that she might be upon _the stroll_."...
> > > >
> > > >The quotes are in the original. The author is citing his
> correspondent.
> > > >
> > > >-Wilson
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >On Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 5:33 AM, Donald McCaig <mccaig at mgwnet.com>
> wrote:
> > > >
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> > > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > > Poster:       Donald McCaig <mccaig at MGWNET.COM>
> > > > > Subject:      "The stroll"
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >
> > > > > Does anyone know when this became common parlance for a
> prostitute's
> > > > > working corner?
> > > > >
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> > > >--
> > > >-Wilson
> > > >-----
> > > >All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> to
> > > >come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > > >-Mark Twain
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