[Ads-l] people who shower after work

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is an instance in a Kansas paper in 1980 of people "who shower
after work" that seems to refer to "good old boys (and girls)". The
passage references the bucking machine in the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy"
starring John Travolta.

Date: September 18, 1980
Newspaper: Kansas City Star
Newspaper Location:
Article: Partners bullish on their bucking machine
Author: Denise Stafford (Star business & financial writer)
Quote Page 9C, Column 3
Database: NewsBank Access World News

[Begin excerpt - double-check for errors]
The deal is simple: A buck for a buck. And there are a lot of
takers—the good old boys (and girls), as well as the not so old, who
shower after work, put on a pair of jeans, boots and a hat and head
down to the local entertainment spot where they try to out-Travolta
John Travolta.

There, in parking lots, smokey barrooms and amusement parks, these
rodeo dreamers risk sore muscles and bruises to prove to their
generally beer-sogged companions that they can ride the bucking
machine.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jul 31, 2019 at 2:52 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> In last night's debate, Tim Ryan lauded "the people that take a shower
> after work," i.e., working-class voters. I wrote up a history of this
> demographic descriptor for the Atlantic:
>
> https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/07/cnn-presidential-debate-after-work-showers/595177/
>
> I give examples of the "people who shower before/after work" distinction
> going back to 1988, but I wouldn't be surprised if an ADS-Ler can beat that.
>
> --bgz
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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