"Punch in the neck"

[David A. Daniel]

There is/was a 2013 movie with Melissa McCarthy, called Identity Thief, in
which her favorite method of rendering people temporarily incapacitated so
she can escape is hitting them in the neck/throat. And it is much discussed
in the movie. I don't know if that started a neck-hitting trend or reflected
one, but there it is for y'all's appreciation.
DAD

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Amy West
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2014 1:57 PM

Poster:       Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
Subject:      Re: "Punch in the neck"
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> From:    Jim Parish<jparish at SIUE.EDU>
> Subject: "Punch in the neck"
>
> In my youth, the favored expression of (mock-)serious violence involved
> a threat to punch someone in the*nose*. Lately, though, it seems as
> though the*neck*  is now the favorite target. Does anyone know anything
> about this change - when, where, why? It seems very recent to me, but of
> course the Illusion of Recency needs to be guarded against. (Why the
> *neck*? Surely the nose is a much more reachable and - when struck -
> satisfying target?)
>
> Jim Parish
I've seen it as "punch in the throat", so as to crush the windpipe. This
is much more vicious than punching in the nose, and so expresses a
higher level of anger, vitriol, etc.

---Amy West

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