[Ads-l] kick ass; fisherman's luck

[Ben Zimmer]

I posted about this on the Strong Language blog, with full credit to JL for
the discovery.

https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2017/10/06/i-want-to-kick-ass-in-1862/


On Thu, Oct 5, 2017 at 8:52 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 1862, at  http://altchive.org/private-voices/node/11901:  Old capen
> gilburt
> is doun her doing All he Can to get us to volenter Agan  [Written between
> lines:] I want to kick ass.
>
> 1864, at  http://altchive.org/private-voices/node/9462: We fish a good
> part
> of our time that is a vary good traid mutch like whare you live we jeneraly
> have fishermans luck a wet ass and hungry gut &c &c
>
> Something sounds a little off about "kick ass," but I don't know how to
> interpret it except in the current sense.
>
>
>

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