bawdy = 'rowdily humorous; slapstick'

[Laurence Horn]

On Jan 18, 2014, at 7:20 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

> 1947 David H. Grene in _PMLA_  LXII 826: Mary Byrne [in Synge's "The Jolly
> Tinker"] sings her bawdy song, "The Night before Larry was Stretched."
>
> Grene was a leading scholar of Irish literature.
>
> The well-known "Night before Larry was Stretched" is rowdy, humorous,
> slapstick, irreverent, even grotesque.
>
> But not "bawdy."
>
> JL

Yep, it sure doesn't seem bawdy to me.  Nor too cheerful, even if poor Larry dies with his face to the city (Dublin).  But then I'm probably not an objective observer.

LH

>
>
> On Sat, Dec 8, 2012 at 7:43 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: bawdy = 'rowdily humorous; slapstick'
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> The idiotic Australian DJs' call to the hospital containing the Duchess of
>> Cambridge is described by CNN as "a bawdy prank."
>>
>> JL
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 10:02 AM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com
>>> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Re: bawdy = 'rowdily humorous; slapstick'
>>>
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> To be "bawdy" you need to be a little bit "naughty" or risque.
>>> As an awe-dropper would say it, "To be body you need to be a little bit
>>> knotty."
>>>
>>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
>>> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
>>>
>>>
>>>> Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:47:08 -0400
>>>> From: wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
>>>> Subject: bawdy = 'rowdily humorous; slapstick'
>>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>>
>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>> Subject: bawdy = 'rowdily humorous; slapstick'
>>>>
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> Today at http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=133129&messages=7
>>>>
>>>> "I heard John Roberts & Tony Barrand sing a bawdy song about a rather
>>>> spirited dinner party."
>>>>
>>>> None of the lyrics of the song are in the least bit "bawdy." I've
>>>> encountered this usage before at this site.
>>>>
>>>> JL
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>>> truth."
>>>>
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>>>
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>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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