[Ads-l] scalper was RE: Sleaze Letigimized - Euphemism Rampage (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill CIV (US)]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

OED has 1875 for scalper sense n 2 a (one who buys and sells railroad tickets without authorization from the railroad).

1 Nov 1873 _Chicago Daily Tribune_ p 3 
"A General Onslaught On the Ticket-Scalpers" [subheadline]

Interdate (1869 - 1948) sense n 2 c (one who buys and sells tickets to entertainments without authorization)

18 May 1893 _San Francisco Chronicle_ p 12

"It is claimed that there has been great irregularity in licensing theater-ticket scalpers and that some startling facts may be developed in this direction, if the Grand Jury will make the effort."

The analogous sense of the verb scalp as applied to tickets is included in the broad sense OED v2 4 "To buy at very low rates so as to be able to sell at less than official rates."  Earliest cite for railway tickets is 1891; for athletic tickets is 1948.

27 May 1874 NY _Daily Graphic_ p 662
"It must not be imagined from this that the business of "scalping" tickets is dead." [railroad tickets]

14 Nov 1905 Minneapolis Journal p 8
"Chicago students are planning to get after "financiers" who scalp tickets on the Thanksgiving game." [football tickets]

6 Nov 1910 San Francisco Chronicle p 42
"Eugene Lewald Proves He Did Not Scalp Tickets" [headline] [theater tickets]


> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 5:17 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Sleaze Letigimized - Euphemism Rampage
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Sleaze Letigimized - Euphemism Rampage
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> It was already common practice at UT when I arrived in Knoxville in
> 1974.
> 
> And they were called "scalpers."
> 
> JL
> 
> On Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 11:12 PM, Neal Whitman <nwhitman at ameritech.net>
> wrote:
> 
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: Sleaze Letigimized - Euphemism Rampage
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> -
> > ---------
> >
> > Somewhere there's something interesting to say about semantics or
> > pragmatics and scalpers who stand outside a venue with signs saying,
> > "I need tickets." They don't need them; they're selling them, but
> > they're not allowed to say that. At least, that's how it is here in
> > central Ohio. Does this happen elsewhere?
> >
> > Neal
> >
> > On 1/20/2015 11:20 AM, Ben Zimmer wrote:
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      Re: Sleaze Letigimized - Euphemism Rampage
> > >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> -
> > ---------
> > >
> > > On Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 3:35 AM, David Daniel wrote:
> > >>  From CNN Money: Re Super Bowl tickets, thousands of which are
> > >> given to
> > "...
> > >> the teams, which end up using brokers to sell them on the
> secondary
> > market."
> > >> So now scalpers (touts - UK) are "brokers" and ply their trade
> > >> proudly, making money for the teams in the "secondary market"?
> Back
> > >> at World Cup time, a bunch of people went to jail here in Rio for
> > >> scalping. They just picked the wrong country I guess.
> > > The "secondary market" for reselling tickets has been legitimized
> by
> > > the U.S. professional sports industry, allowing people to resell
> > > tickets via StubHub and similar services. (Presumably the
> > > leagues/teams get a cut of the profits.) So your one-time
> "scalpers"
> > > are now legitimate "brokers." Cf. "budtender," replacing "pot
> dealer"
> > > in states that have legalized the sale of marijuana.
> > >
> > > --bgz
> > >
> >
> > --
> > Dr. Neal Whitman
> > Lecturer, ESL Composition
> > School of Teaching and Learning
> > College of Education and Human Ecology Arps Hall
> > 1945 North High Street
> > whitman.11 at osu.edu
> > (614) 260-1622
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > 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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Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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