[Ads-l] ballard

Marc Sacks msacksg at GMAIL.COM
Sun Feb 12 15:23:02 UTC 2017


The OED defines "ballard" as "Obs. A bald-headed person," citing Wyclif's
Bible, 4 Kings ii. 23:   And scorneden to hym, seyinge ‘Stey up, ballard!’

How Beyonce will perform one of those, and who it will be, I have no idea.

Marc Sacks

On Sun, Feb 12, 2017 at 8:32 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      ballard
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
>
> A CNN commentator says that Beyonce' will give either "a full performance
> or a ballard."
>
> Google shows a few exx. of "Scotch ballards" in newspapers going back to at
> least 1903, plus a good number of contemporary "old ballards."
>
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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