[Ads-l] "a ... of strange"

[Douglas G. Wilson]

On 11/2/2014 4:32 AM, Jonathan Lighter 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: "a ... of strange"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A white friend of mine from Middle Tennessee used to say "get some
> strange"  in his younger days (mid 1970s).
>
> He's the only person I've actually heard use it. HDAS files have a couple
> of examples, but nothing before Peter Gent, 1973, "a piece of strange."
>
> GB seems to have nothing till about 2005 and next to nothing after. ....
--

I heard this "[get/want] [a little / some] strange" from a few men ca. 
1970. I think all were older men (maybe 50's then). My impression at the 
time was that it was somewhat old-fashioned slang from maybe 1940-1950.

I suppose this 'noun' "strange" is/was an abbreviation for "strange 
pussy" or equivalent.

I see a few relevant examples of "little strange stuff" and "little bit 
of strange stuff" and "some strange stuff" at Google Books, dated 1950 
and later. Also a few relevant examples of "strange pussy" from the 
1960's and 1970's.

-- Doug Wilson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org