[Ads-l] "off the cuff" antedated to 1934 (UNCLASSIFIED)

Mon Feb 23 21:13:37 UTC 2015

At 2/23/2015 02:26 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

>The 1925 ex. seems unusually  to mean "out of debt."  ("On the cuff" = 'on
>credit.')
>
>JL

Exactly my interpretation.

Joel

>On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 1:38 PM, 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: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934 (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >
> > 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > _Variety_ 29 Apr 1925 p 21 col 4
> > [review of theatrical show]
> > "Didn't have a chance and producer and theater were smart enough to go
> > afte=
> > r the two for ones.  Kept house from going dark and will just about get
> > off=
> >  the cuff."
> >
> > _Photoplay_ Apr 1926 pp 50-51
> > "Mickey Neilan was some seven hours late on his set one day.  And the
> > compa=
> > ny waited and shivered -- and then shivered and waited some more.
> > "Must have lost his script," hazarded a member of the cast.
> > "Sure," says the prop boy.  "Must have lost his script and is now hunting
> > t=
> > hrough all the shirts in the Hollywood laundry to find it."
> > (You see, Mickey Neilan is famous for being one of the few surviving
> > direct=
> > ors who "shoot from the cuff" -- which means the only script he ever has
> > is=
> >  what's in his head, aided by an occasional note on his cuff.)"
> >
> > _Hollywood Vagabond_ 28 Apr 1927 p 5 col 3
> > "We don't get out here in the lights and then try to find out what's going
> > =
> > to happen.  We read the script, know the story and throw the script away.
> > =
> > Then we come out on the set and shoot it off the cuff."
> >
> > _The Film Daily_ 11 May 1930 p 5 col 2
> >
> > "Credit Roy Mack of the Vitaphone studio with the one about the director
> > wh=
> > o was shooting off the cuff and moaned that he had washed his shirt and
> > los=
> > t the script."
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > > Behalf Of ADSGarson O'Toole
> > > Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2015 1:26 PM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934
> > >=20
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> > > --------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934
> > > -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > --------
> > >=20
> > > John Baker posted some valuable material to the ADS list in 2012 on the
> > > "off the cuff" topic:
> > >=20
> > > http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2012-
> > > August/121540.html
> > >=20
> > > I found some cites for "shoot from the cuff" starting in July 17, 1927:
> > >=20
> > > http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2012-
> > > August/121545.html
> > >=20
> > > Garson
> > >=20
> > > On Sat, Feb 21, 2015 at 11:58 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
> > > wrote:
> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -------------
> > > ----------
> > > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> > > > Subject:      Re: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934
> > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > -
> > > > ---------
> > > >
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > July 31, 1932. Times-Picayune [New Orleans], Section 2, p. 5, col. 1.
> > > > Headl=3D
> > > > ine: Movie Formula Revived with Uproar Unknown to Silents.=3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D85."you never know where a picture is going these
> > days"=3D85."Right,=
> > "
> > > > he [a =3D studio head] beamed,"it was shot right off the cuff every
> > > > morning=3D85isn't t=3D hat phenomenal?" [The same paper has an iffy
> > Sep=
> > t.
> > > > 1, 1929 use: "=3D85.I pick=3D ed one off the cuff and gave it to him
> > fo=
> > r
> > > > free."=3D96horse racing tip.]=3D0A=3D =3D0A=3D
> > > > ________________________________________=3D0A=3D
> > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > > > Stephe=3D n Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>=3D0A=3D
> > > > Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2015 10:48 AM=3D0A=3D
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU=3D0A=3D
> > > > Subject: [ADS-L] "off the cuff" antedated to 1934=3D0A=3D =3D0A=3D The
> > > > previous earliest mentioned was Aug. 16, 1936 (discussed at Language
> > > > Lo=3D g and Early Sports and Pop Culture History Blog).=3D0A=3D =3D0A=
> > =3D Gene
> > > > Fowler, Father Goose The Story of Mack Sennett (NY: Covici, Friede,
> > > > 19=3D
> > > > 34) page 147:=3D0A=3D
> > > > He set up his cameras with showmanlike haste and began shooting
> > > > extemporane=3D ously-, or, "off the cuff."=3D0A=3D
> > > >
> > >
> > http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=3D3Dmdp.39015003982835;view=3D3D1up=
> > ;
> > > > seq=3D
> > > > =3D3D161=3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > Stephen Goranson=3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/=3D0A=3D
> > > > =3D0A=3D
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------=3D0A=3D
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org=3D0A=3D
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >=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."
>
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