early "tits"

[Eric Nielsen]

I remember hearing it circa 1977, but I believe it's common usage among
metal workers still. I quick Google search of "tits" + "metalworking" gave
up this exchange between machinists:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/general-metalwork-discussion/35059-minimizing-tits-lathe.html


Eric


On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 11:07 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: early "tits"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Not in OED.
>
> How many years ago was it, Eric?
>
> BTW, "...on a boar-hog" is documented from 1940.
>
> JL
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 10:39 AM, Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: early "tits"
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > When I first heard that expression I thought it was "useless as tits on a
> > board"-- which made sense in an absurdist kind of way.
> >
> > Years ago, in local shipyard parlance, all the unwanted pieces of metal
> > left sticking out of a bulkhead prior to painting were called "tits". As
> in
> > the boss would call you in and say, "OK, I want you to grind off all the
> > tits in here".
> >
> > Eric
> >
> > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 7:29 AM, Jonathan Lighter <
> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >  But cf. "useless as tits on a boar[-hog]" in HDAS....Er, well, never
> > mind
> > > that....
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 1:25 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > > -----------------------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > > > Subject:      Re: early "tits"
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 3:31 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
> > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > not breasts but nipples
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Exactly. "Teat" as "breast" strikes me as, well, messed up. Boar-hogs
> > and
> > > > bullamacows (WAG: < "bull, a man cow"; used only in Marshall, Texas,
> > BE,
> > > > AFAIK) have "teats" and not "tits."
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > -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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>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
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