[Ads-l] The T-Word, or The Semiology of Naming the Unmentionable

Robin Hamilton robin.hamilton3 at VIRGINMEDIA.COM
Wed Oct 5 23:32:34 UTC 2016


Curses! (and apologies to Joel).

Looking at Joel's post on "Whipped out" again, I see that I managed to omit his
own variant.  A classic instance of my firing from the hip without watching
where the pistol is pointing.  In this instance, it seems to have been pointed
squarely at my own left foot.

So to one 1-4 below, add:

5.  The Doubly Omitted Version -- D----d T---p.

RH.

> 
>     On 06 October 2016 at 00:21 Robin Hamilton
> <robin.hamilton3 at VIRGINMEDIA.COM> wrote:
> 
> 
>     Joel's recent post on "whipped out" reminds me that I've been brooding
> over the
>     variety of ways in which members of this list seem to deal with referring
> to He
>     Who ...
> 
>     There seem to be at least (let me count them) four possible ways:
> 
>     1. Standard Nomenclature -- where the name of [...] is used, coupled with
> a
>     bewilderment as to why others avoid it.
> 
>     2. The Starred Version -- whereby we have D*n*ld Tr*mp.
> 
>     3. The Omitted Version -- as in, D_n_ld Tr_mp.
> 
>     4. The Nickname Version -- as in the Frog [which he, to my eye, resembles.
>     With apologies to frogs].
> 
>     (Have I missed anything? If so, my apologies.)
> 
>     Two questions.
> 
>     1. Are we reluctant to name, lest the thing be called up?
> 
>     2. Does the choice of term correlate in any way with a position on the
>     political spectrum? Specifically, is it possible to infer from 2-4,
> exactly
>     where on the Left Spectrum the (non)utterer lies?
> 
>     I should say that I have been here before, since even now, I refuse to
> refer to
>     a now-deceased former Prime Minister of Great Britain other than as the
> Hag of
>     Grantham.
> 
>     RH.
> 
>     ------------------------------------------------------------
>     The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 

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



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