Mildly disagreeing with HDAS (UNCLASSIFIED)

Wed Sep 3 16:30:59 UTC 2014

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

It would seem so.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 8:48 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Mildly disagreeing with HDAS (UNCLASSIFIED)
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Mildly disagreeing with HDAS (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> Isn't that mostly "satirical movie jive"?
> 
> JL
> 
> 
> On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 9:36 AM, Mullins, Bill CIV (US) <
> william.d.mullins18.civ at mail.mil> wrote:
> 
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)"
> <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL>
> > Subject:      Re: Mildly disagreeing with HDAS (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> -
> > ---------
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > Dialog from the movie Airplane:
> >
> > Randy: Can I get you something?=20
> > Second Jive Dude: 'S'mofo butter layin' me to da' BONE! Jackin' me
> up...
> > ti=
> > ght me!=20
> > Randy: I'm sorry, I don't understand.=20 First Jive Dude: Cutty say
> 'e
> > can't HANG!=20 Jive Lady: Oh, stewardess! I speak jive.=20
> > Randy: Oh, good.=20
> > Jive Lady: He said that he's in great pain and he wants to know if
> you
> > can = help him.
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > > Behalf Of Wilson Gray
> > > Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2014 3:07 AM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Mildly disagreeing with HDAS
> > >=20
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------
> ----
> > > --------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Mildly disagreeing with HDAS
> > > -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> > > --------
> > >=20
> > > HDAS: laid adj. Black E. 1. laid-back, 2. 1962 H[erbert] Simmons
> _[Man
> > > Walking] On Eggshells_ 174: He stayed laid all the time.
> > >=20
> > > Herb Simmons is a native St. Louisan and a frat-brother of mine who
> was
> > > the guest of honor/featured speaker at my "ship's" post-initiation
> > > banquet, in 1957. In St. Louis, "laid" is only "well-dressed." "He
> > > stayed laid all the time" means, "He was always well-dressed." He's
> > > older than I am, so his phraseology is a taste stale. I would
> write,
> > > "He *stayed* laid!" The emphasis tells the hearer/reader that it
> was
> > > "all the time."
> > >=20
> > > 1972 Claerbaut _Black Jargon_ 71 _Laid to the bone_ ... drunk.
> a1994
> > > Smitherman _Black Talk_ 151: _Laid_... High on liquor or drugs.
> > >=20
> > > That these and other equally-authoritative sources, all post-1960
> and
> > > none of them the Urban Dictionary, connect "laid (to the bone)"
> with
> > > drink and/or dope is a real surprise to me. Even Clarence Major
> goes
> > > for that shit, without a mention of "well-dressed." In *my*
> experience,
> > > "laid" is only "well-dressed" and "... to the bone" is only "very
> well
> > > dressed, dressed to a T/to the teeth," not only from back in the
> '40's,
> > > but also to this very day. It falls trippingly from the tongue of
> > > trash-TV's Judge Greg Mathis, a native of Detroit who wasn't even
> born
> > > till 1960, as well as from the tongues of his "guests" and from
> those
> > > of Jerry Springer's "guests."
> > >=20
> > > I've always intuited "laid" as ultimately derived from the concept
> of
> > > having a batman to lay out one's clothes for one and the well-
> dressed
> > > corpse laid out for a funeral. Apparently, others intuit a drunk
> laid
> > > out on the floor behind too much Thunderbird or some such. As
> usual,
> > >=20
> > > Youneverknow.
> > >=20
> > > I'm reminded of an Army buddy from the Crescent City who told me,
> > >=20
> > > "Man, when I was stationed at Fort Polk[, Louisiana], I *stood* in
> New
> > > Orleans!"
> > >=20
> > > Does anyone else recall the '40's, radio-days catch-phrase, "I
> should
> > > have stood in bed!"? Until I heard Roussell say "stood" where I
> would
> > > have said "stayed," I had *no* idea WTF that catch-phrase was
> supposed
> > > to mean. Like, what could *possibly* be the point of standing in
> bed?
> > >=20
> > >=20
> > > --
> > > -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
> > >=20
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > 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."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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