"do a crap"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Should have specified that the 1846 is in OED/HDAS, not F&H.

Should also observe that OED is unaware of the technical sense of "to crap
out." In craps.

JL


On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 5:07 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "do a crap"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Even better, the 1846 ex. of "crappy" synonymizes it with "sh-ten."
>
>
> JL
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 5, 2014 at 4:22 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: "do a crap"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > FWIW, here's some independent evidence for the noun's existence with this
> > sense prior to 1898, from Farmer & Henley, since I have it out anyway.
> >  Their entry, in Volume II (C-Fizzle), has a publication date of 1891
> (if I
> > have my Roman numerals correct) and includes three senses for "crap" as a
> > substantive, the third of which reads
> >
> > 3. (printers')--Type that has got mixes; technically known as 'pi.' [Here
> > compared to excrement.]
> >
> > Curiously, there's no entry for substantive "crap" = 'excrement',
> although
> > the verb entry 'to ease oneself by evacuation' is listed as "common" (OED
> > has the verb from 1874), with a cross-reference to the entries at "Bury a
> > Quaker" and "Mrs. Jones".
> >
> > LH
> >
> > On Jun 5, 2014, at 3:56 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >
> > > OED/HDAS have _crap_ 'a defecation,' from Wright's EDD of 1898, though
> > > Wright seems to give no actual citation.
> > >
> > > So this early ex. might be useful:
> > >
> > > 1910 _Proceedings of the Old Bailey_ [
> > >
> >
> http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t19100208-41a&div=t19100208-41a&terms=crap#highlight
> > ]:
> > > All right, governor, I only came over here to do a crap. ...I simply
> got
> > > over the gateway for a natural purpose. I am innocent.
> > >
> > > Note that British usage has customarily been to "do" a crap; American
> is
> > > "take" or "have" one.
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > truth."
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