Fun and games among the Quakers: "Rogerene", 1768; interdates OED (2010) 1754--1784

[Jonathan Lighter]

But remember that "nimble-wimble" is translated from French.

Unlike "dingdong" and "dingaling."

JL


On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 3:11 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Fun and games among the Quakers: "Rogerene", 1768;
> interdates
>               OED (2010) 1754--1784
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Apr 27, 2014, at 1:52 PM, David A. Daniel wrote:
>
> > So, hey! Is this were "to roger" comes from?
> > DAD
>
> Apparently the verb derives neither from the Rogeri/enes nor the "rogers"
> who were "itinerant beggar[s] pretending to be poor scholar[s] from Oxford
> or Cambridge" but from the (flaming) roger itself, aka the nimble-wimble...
>
>  4. coarse slang. The penis. Cf. roger v.1   Now rare.
>
> 1679   T. Kirk Mod. Acct. Scotl. 9   And perhaps Sir Roger follows Mrs
> Bride to her Apartment,..where he uses..pungent and pressing Arguments.]
> 1689   R. Gray in P. U. Bonomi Lord Cornbury Scandal (1998) v. 103   Lets
> pray for the good of our State and his Soul That He'd put his Roger into
> the Right Hold.
> 1694   P. A. Motteux et al. tr. Rabelais Wks. I. i. xi. 44   And some of
> the other Women would give these Names, My Roger, my Cockatoo, my
> Nimble-wimble, Bush-beater, Claw-buttock..my lusty Live Saucage.
> ...
> c1863   ‘Philo Cunnus’ Festival of Passions ii. 25   With my right hand, I
> grasped my flaming Roger.
>
> "pungent and pressing arguments" indeed, but occasionally misdirected
>
> LH
>
> >
> > Subject: Fun and games among the Quakers: "Rogerene", 1768; interdates
> OED
> > (2010) 1754--1784
> >
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Fun and games among the Quakers: "Rogerene", 1768;
> interdates
> > OED
> >              (2010) 1754--1784
> >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ---
> >
> > You must have read of the vast variety of religions and different
> > persuasions in practice in this country. I heard the other day of a
> > new sect, who call themselves Rogerines, [sic] from their principal,
> > whose name is Roger. They run about stark naked, men and women, and
> > profess to live in the state of primitive innocence. In this country
> > they go into churches and other religious meetings, where they dance
> > about in an extraordinary manner, Billy to Betty, and cry out
> > constantly, "Who can do as we do, and yet be pure and undefiled?"
> > This is a fact; but pray do not read it to any women.
> >
> > 1768 Alexander Mackraby, Letter to Sir Philip Francis, 20 January,
> > Bristol [Pennsylvania].  In Pennsylvania Magazine of History and
> > Biography 11 (1887), 278.  GBooks.
> >
> > The article is titled "Philadelphia Society [sic!] before the
> > Revolution".  Bristol, Penn., is just across the Delaware River from
> > New Jersey, about 22 miles from Philadelphia.  Mackraby wrote "I am
> > at an inn, where I put up on my return from a visit to Mr. Franklyn,
> > governor of the province of Jersey, to whom I was introduced yesterday".
> >
> > "Rogerene" interdates OED3  1754--1784.
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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