[Ads-l] "insane" as a compliment

[Wilson Gray]

> "... is an insane lyricist!"

Maybe what he's trying to get at is that, as a lyricist, the person has mad
skills.

Youneverknow.

On Wed, Jul 18, 2018 at 5:17 AM Margaret Lee <
0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

>  I've also seen it written in credit card ads: a new, "insane" card.
> --Margaret Lee
>     On ‎Tuesday‎, ‎July‎ ‎17‎, ‎2018‎ ‎11‎:‎34‎:‎38‎ ‎AM‎ ‎EDT, Margaret
> Winters <mewinters at WAYNE.EDU> wrote:
>
>  I'm sure I've heard it too - it sounds natural.  I think I've encountered
> it more than once on one of the food/cooking channels in enthusiastically
> positive descriptions of specific dishes.
>
>
> Margaret
>
>
> ----------------------------
> MARGARET E WINTERS
> Former Provost
> Professor Emerita - French and Linguistics
> Wayne State University
> Detroit, MI  48202
>
> mewinters at wayne.edu
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2018 11:24 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "insane" as a compliment
>
> I’m pretty sure I’ve heard positive “insane” on sports recap shows to
> describe plays.  Usually as a predicate adjective, though.  Googling “That
> play was insane” pullsl up a lot of relevant hits. There’s this one with a
> musical connection via UrbanDic:
>
> insane
> Very, very, very talented.
> "Wow the drummer from that band in EyesofRuin is insane!!!
>
> LH
>
> > On Jul 17, 2018, at 11:17 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> > Possibly because his lyrics are "swingin' like insane," to quote a
> > catch-phrase of a StL DJ, back in the '50's. Remember "Crazy, Man,
> Crazy,"
> > by Bill Haley & the Comets?
> >
> > On Tue, Jul 17, 2018 at 10:04 AM Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> >> A voice on NPR just burbled (lauditorily) that a particular individual
> "is
> >> an insane lyricist!"
> >>
> >>
> >> --Charlie
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > -Wilson
> > -----
> > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
> > come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > -Mark Twain
> >
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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-- 
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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