[Ads-l] Idle curiosity

[Jonathan Lighter]

I recently heard "clutchest," i.e. "coolest," or, in proper English,
"neatest or keenest."

JL

On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 10:08 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Idle curiosity
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Urban Dictionary has some pertinent definitions that seem to fit the
> ESPN usage. The downvotes suggest that there is some resistance to
> these definitions.
>
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=clutch
>
> [Begin definition 2]
> clutch
> Exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.
>
> "The other day I was really hungry but thought I had no money on me.
> Then I found five dollars in my jacket pocket--that was clutch."
>
> by FtG January 08, 2006
>
> Upvote 2133 Downvote 1265
> [End definition 2]
>
> [Begin definition 4]
> clutch
> Great, Essential, and Potent rolled into a single word. Clutch is also
> used to describe something that is done, not something that is.
>
> Stealing your orange soda was so clutch.
>
> Pulling the special move on Jenna was clutch.
>
> by Ezra June 30, 2003
>
> Upvote 2669 Downvote 2182
> [End definition 4]
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 8:57 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: Idle curiosity
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >> On Jul 12, 2015, at 7:48 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM> =
> > wrote:
> >>=20
> >> It's not really sports context, except in the most superficial sense.
> >>=20
> >> The underlying phrase is "That's clutch!" in the sense similar to =
> > "That's
> >> cool!". That's not the same meaning that's in sports context, unless =
> > I'm
> >> completely misinterpreted the expression.
> >
> > If you have, I've done so as well, as noted earlier.  I hadn't been =
> > familiar with "That's clutch" (or "X is clutch") in contexts unrelated =
> > to good performance in stressful and/or game-meaningful situations, but =
> > "that's cool" (or even "that's good") seems consistent with the example =
> > upthread.  I took the use in the ESPNapp commercial to allude to a =
> > semantic change along the lines of 'well-performing in crucial =
> > situations' > 'well-performing (generally)', helped along by the =
> > familiarity of ad consumers with the sports context. =20
> >
> > LH
> >>=20
> >> VS-)
> >>=20
> >> On 12:11pm, Sun, Jul 12, 2015 Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> =
> > wrote:
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >> Clutch as an adjective in the context of sports is new??
> >>=20
> >> DanG
> >>=20
> >> On Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 8:26 AM, Arnold Zwicky =
> > <arnold.zwicky at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cclutch=3DE2=3D80=3D9D is new to me.
> >>>=20
> >>> on =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cdoxx=3DE2=3D80=3D9D, on my blog:
> >>> =
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.org_201=
> >
> 4_10_26_doxxing_&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf=
> >
> 13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DZc5k-lGDuYkKGushtQVgc56ku4gxmLDWivSB4eydf=
> > cg&s=3DzSU0awhZMn7a1DqWn7LwMk7NdCX5oNZlTodc9ZySBfA&e=3D=20
> >>>=20
> >>> on the nouning =3DE2=3D80=3D9Cspend=3DE2=3D80=3D9D, on my blog:
> >>> =3D
> >>>=20
> >> =
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__arnoldzwicky.wordpre=
> >
> ss.com_2012_08_23_annals-2Dof-2Dnouning-2Dand-2Dpeeving-3D&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D=
> >
> -dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3D=
> >
> Zc5k-lGDuYkKGushtQVgc56ku4gxmLDWivSB4eydfcg&s=3Dao64RTUlbDU7mefGcs0C65G76j=
> > ebjU0ojRPW1NghuyA&e=3D=20
> >>> /
> >>>=20
> >>=20
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - =
> >
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> >
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> >
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3DZc5k-lGDuYkKGushtQVgc56ku4gxmLDWivSB4eydfcg&s=3DBsI6zB=
> > UX3gSqkaQZ_UrVJgrJA91f0McEAKjq2RBl8VM&e=3D=20
> >
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