[Ads-l] "off the cuff" antedated to 1934
Jonathan Lighter
wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Tue Feb 24 13:04:32 UTC 2015
According to my grandparents, it was once a common practice.
Because she had no cuffs, Gov. Palin had to write on her hand.
JL
On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 7:47 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
> Subject: Re: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Because I am Captain Obvious, the racetrack tip cite and the credit
> sense really seem connected to me with the development of the use of
> paper shirt cuffs (which comes in the 'teens?) and so the possibility of
> writing things on the cuffs.
>
> ---Amy West
>
> On 2/24/15 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> > Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:28:43 +0000 From: "Mullins, Bill CIV (US)"
> > <william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL> Subject: Re: "off the cuff"
> > antedated to 1934 (UNCLASSIFIED) Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats:
> > NONE Yes it does. I wasn't aware of that meaning until I looked the
> > phrase up in OED (after I posted).
> >> >-----Original Message-----
> >> >From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> >> >Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> >> >Sent: Monday, February 23, 2015 1:27 PM
> >> >To:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> >Subject: Re: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934 (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: "off the cuff" antedated to 1934 (UNCLASSIFIED)
> >> >-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >--------
> >> >
> >> >The 1925 ex. seems unusually to mean "out of debt." ("On the cuff" =
> >> >'on
> >> >credit.')
> >> >
> >> >JL
> >> >
> >> >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=3D3D
> >>> > >1up=
> >>> > >;
> >>>>> > > > >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."
> >> >
> >> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >The American Dialect Society -http://www.americandialect.org
> > Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> > Caveats: NONE
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> 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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