[Ads-l] TK

Thu Nov 9 20:55:31 UTC 2017

Thank you for this great info!

On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 3:03 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: TK
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
>
> > On Nov 9, 2017, at 2:38 PM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:
> >=20
> > Some years ago we discussed the process by which "come" in the sense =
> of '(sexually) ejaculate' evolved into "kum" as a noun.
> >=20
> >=20
> > =E2=80=94Charlie
> >=20
> Did we?  I recall =E2=80=9Ccum=E2=80=9D but not =E2=80=9Ckum=E2=80=9D.  =
> I=E2=80=99ve previously encountered the latter not as a term of art in =
> umliterature but as the first syllable of kumquat.
>
> LH
> =20
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of =
> Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Sent: Thursday, November 9, 2017 2:35:45 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: Re: TK
> >=20
> > Seems like the grand tradition that gave us =E2=80=9CO.K.=E2=80=9D (< =
> =E2=80=9Coll korrect=E2=80=9D) is alive and well, or was in the 20th =
> century, anyway...
> >=20
> >=20
> >> On Nov 9, 2017, at 2:00 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole =
> <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >>=20
> >> Here is an example in 1921 where it seems that "Hed to Kum" was
> >> inserted by an editor and it accidentally appeared in the final
> >> publication.
> >>=20
> >> Date: April 1921
> >> Periodical: Feedingstuffs
> >> Article: The Stockman Is Coming Back
> >> AUTHOR: F.C. Minkler (American Feed Manufacturers Assn)
> >> Quote Page 54
> >> Database: Google Books
> >>=20
> >> =
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Duus9AQAAMAAJ&q=3D%
> 22hed+to%22#v=3Dsnip=
> pet&
> >>=20
> >> [Begin excerpt]
> >> If it pays to feed 50 cent corn to $10.00 hogs or $10.00 cattle, it
> >> will pay to tuck the same feed under the more pliable skins of the
> >> pure bred animal, although the grade feeder is apt to come to life
> >> sooner than the pure bred, simply because the turn over will take
> >> place with a smaller initial investment and
> >> Hed to Kum
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>=20
> >> Google Books shows a snippet match circa 1923. The data shown in
> >> snippet matches is sometimes inaccurate. Searching for "1923" within
> >> the book reveals a snippet with the name of the author "George C.
> >> Bastian" and "Chicago, October, 1923." This snippet probably appears
> >> at the end of the preface. So the date is probably ok. But the
> >> information should be verified with hardcopy.
> >>=20
> >> Year: 1923
> >> Title: Editing the Day's News: An Introduction to Newspaper
> >> Copyreading, Headline Writing, Illustration, Makeup, and General
> >> Newspaper Methods
> >> Author: George C. Bastian
> >> Quote Page 228
> >> Database: Google Books Snippet; this data may be inaccurate and =
> should
> >> be verified with hardcopy
> >>=20
> >> =
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3DBgHba-Ic3akC&focus=
> 3Dsearchwithinvolum=
> e&q=3D%22hed+to%22
> >>=20
> >> [Begin extracted text]
> >> H.T.C., H.T.K. =E2=80=94 Head to come,
> >> or "hed to kum," indorsed on copy
> >> to indicate story is running and
> >> [End extracted text]
> >>=20
> >> Below is a match in 1946 for "HTK" and "Head to Kum" that is fully
> >> visible in HathiTrust.
> >>=20
> >> Year: 1946
> >> Title: Editing the Small City Daily
> >> Author: Robert M. Neal with commentaries by Professor Eugen W. Sharp
> >> and the late John M. Imrie.
> >> Publisher: Prentice-Hall, New York
> >> Edition: Revised
> >> Database: HathiTrust
> >> Quote Page 245
> >>=20
> >> https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015030920808
> >> https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015030920808?urlappend=
> 3D%3Bseq=3D263=
>
> >>=20
> >> [Begin excerpt]
> >> To save time, he sends along the lead before he writes the headline.
> >> The lead carries a notation to assure the copy cutter that the
> >> headline will be coming and that it hasn't been lost in the journey
> >> from desk to composing room. This warning generally is the statement,
> >> at the top of the lead, "Head to Come," often shortened to "H. to C."
> >> or to "HTK" (Head to Kum).
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>=20
> >> Garson
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >> On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 12:20 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> >> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> Here is a link to a 1958 newspaper story that explains the related
> >>> abbreviation HTK which means "head to kum" or "hed to kum".
> >>>=20
> >>> Date: November 22, 1958
> >>> Newspaper: Daily Independent Journal
> >>> Newspaper Location: San Rafael, California
> >>> Quote Page M6
> >>>=20
> >>> =
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14993436/1958_example_of_
> printer_slang_htk=
> _hed/
> >>>=20
> >>> [Begin excerpt from photo caption]
> >>> LINOTYPE BANK =E2=80=94 Here, words are turned into metal, not only =
> for news
> >>> stories but for advertisements. Each story bears an identifying =
> "slug"
> >>> referring to its heading or "HTK," meaning "hed to kum." As type is
> >>> set, it is transferred to "galleys" or trays on "bank" at right. =
> Slugs
> >>> guide "floor men" in shunting type to proper department.
> >>> [End excerpt]
> >>>=20
> >>> Below is a citation from 1922 containing the phrase "Hed to Kum". =
> This
> >>> phrase seems to be a message to the printer, but it appeared in the
> >>> final copy. This was due to an error by the printer. Alternatively, =
> it
> >>> was an obscure joke.
> >>>=20
> >>> Date: July 1922
> >>> Volume 23, Number 7
> >>> Periodical: Correct English: How to Use It
> >>> Article: A Study in Expressive Word Combinations
> >>> Subtitle: =46rom The Secret Places of the Heart
> >>> Article Author: H.G. Wells
> >>> Note: Excerpt appears at the end of the article
> >>> Start Page 182, Quote Page 183
> >>> Publisher: Correct English Publishing Co., Evanston, Illinois
> >>>=20
> >>> =
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dy1RJAQAAMAAJ&q=3D%
> 22to+kum%22#v=3Dsnip=
> pet&
> >>>=20
> >>> [Begin excerpt]
> >>> =E2=80=94The Queries and Answers omitted in this number, will be =
> resumed in
> >>> the August number
> >>> =E2=80=94Hed to Kum=E2=80=94How goes?
> >>> [End excerpt]
> >>>=20
> >>> Garson O'Toole
> >>>=20
> >>>=20
> >>> On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 10:54 AM, Theresa Fisher
> >>> <fisher.theresa at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>> Hi,
> >>>>=20
> >>>> I'm writing a short article in which I discuss the abbreviation TK =
> (meaning
> >>>> "to come" in journalism and publishing). I know the basic origin =
> story of
> >>>> TK: Back in the days of print journalism, TK (as well as lede, hed =
> and dek)
> >>>> were used as purposely misspelled shorthand that proofreaders and =
> copy
> >>>> editors wouldn't mistake for actual copy or typos.
> >>>>=20
> >>>> I've read that "K" was chosen both because TK is an unusual letter
> >>>> combination and because it's an abbreviation of the slang "to kum."
> >>>>=20
> >>>> But I was hoping to find some more detailed information about TK =
> and was
> >>>> wondering if anyone had more insight on its history or usage.
> >>>>=20
> >>>> Thanks,
> >>>>=20
> >>>> Theresa
> >>>>=20
> >>>> --
> >>>>=20
> >>>> Theresa Fisher
> >>>> fisher.theresa at gmail.com
> >>>> 914 500 3434
> >>>>=20
> >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>=20
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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-- 

Theresa Fisher
fisher.theresa at gmail.com
914 500 3434

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