[Ads-l] break a leg

Thu Jul 16 22:11:00 UTC 2020

> The first citation contained "broke her leg above the knee".

Makes one wonder what the development of this slang (idiom?) was.
Well, me, anway.

On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 3:25 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Green’s Dictionary of Slang already has the 1785 citation I just
> posted together with other citations beginning in 1621. I didn't
> notice because the sense and the initial citations in GDoS were a bit
> different. The first citation contained "broke her leg above the
> knee".
>
> https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/o4zbvxa
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> (also break one’s leg) to become pregnant out of wedlock; often ext.
> as break a/one’s leg above the knee.
> [End excerpt]
>
> On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 3:33 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks for your response. JL. I posted the 1859 citation with the
> > sense "seduce a girl" because the "Vocabulum" compilation was
> > published in New York, and you stated that the related pregnancy sense
> > was "Rarely attested in U.S." Yet, I realize that the presence of a
> > term in a slang compilation published in New York does not prove that
> > the term was actually in use in New York.
> >
> > Nice work, Andy. Here is an earlier compilation published in London
> > that contains a similar entry.
> >
> > Year: 1785 MDCCLXXXV
> > Title: A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
> >
> > https://books.google.com/books?id=NqHteIy-lXYC&q=%22broken+a+leg%22#v=snippet&
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > to break a leg, a woman who has had a bastard, is said to have broken a leg.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 1:03 PM Andy Bach <afbach at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > 1811
> > > https://www.google.com/books/edition/Lexicon_Balatronicum/iDsJAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Break%20a%20leg%22
> > > Lexicon Balatronicum
> > > A Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, and Pickpocket Eloquence
> > > By Francis Grose, Hewson Clarke, George Cruikshank · 1811
> > >
> > > Leg. To make a leg; to bow. To give leg-bail and land security; to run
> > > away. To fight at the leg; to take unfair advantage: it being held
> > > unfair by back-sword players to strike at the leg.
> > >         To break a leg; a woman who has had a bastard, is said to have
> > > broken a leg.
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 11:22 AM ADSGarson O'Toole
> > > <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The 1859 slang book "Vocabulum" published in New York included an
> > > > entry for "TO BREAK A LEG" which specified a closely related sense.
> > > >
> > > > Year: 1859
> > > > Book Title: Vocabulum: Or, The Rogue's Lexicon
> > > > Editor: George W. Matsell
> > > > Publisher: George W. Matsell & Company, New York
> > > > Quote Page 90
> > > > https://books.google.com/books?id=07NZAAAAMAAJ&q=+%22break+a+leg%22#v=snippet&
> > > >
> > > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > > TO BREAK A LEG. To seduce a girl.
> > > > [End excerpt]
> > > >
> > > > Green’s Dictionary of Slang has a pertinent page with U.K. and U.S. citations.
> > > > https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/o4zbvxa
> > > >
> > > > Garson
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 4:29 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > The sentence is lexically ambiguous, but it's unlikely to assume, as Hall
> > > > > seems to, that an unidentified person broke the woman's leg, and that it
> > > > > was "mischief" of a sort that would arouse his curiosity.
> > > > >
> > > > > The idiom is attested earlier in England and later in the U.S. "A Word-List
> > > > > from Alabama,"  Dialect Notes, 1909, p. 294: "Break one's leg...Of a woman,
> > > > > to become with child illegitimately."
> > > > >
> > > > > JL
> > > > >
> > > > > On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 2:49 PM Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Is there internal evidence showing that Walker was referring to an
> > > > > > unwanted pregnancy and not to a literal break of the leg?  The wording
> > > > > > seems to me to be inconclusive.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > John Baker
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of
> > > > > > Laurence Horn
> > > > > > Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 2:43 PM
> > > > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > > > > Subject: Re: break a leg
> > > > > >
> > > > > > External Email - Think Before You Click
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Or 'become pregnant or bear a child out of wedlock, esp. during a
> > > > > > successful theatrical performance'?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Actually, the two idioms differ in this respect, since "She got her leg
> > > > > > broken" can't be understood as referring to a performance, as opposed to a
> > > > > > pre-performance "Break a leg!" I'm not even sure I could report "I told
> > > > > > her to break a leg, and she did" to mean she did well on stage, given the
> > > > > > frozenness of the idiom.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > LH
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 2:38 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > > > > > <mailto:wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>>
> > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > 'To become pregnant or bear a child out of wedlock." Rarely attested in
> > > > > > > U.S.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > 1862 in C. A. Glenn, ed. _Robert Walker _Letters of Robert Walker, A
> > > > > > > Soldier in the American Civil War_ (Veroqua, Wis.: Vernon Co. Censor,
> > > > > > > 1917)11: And I heard about that poor unfortunate girl, Mary Campfield,
> > > > > > > getting her leg broken. I should like to know who she blames for the
> > > > > > > mischief.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Walker (1841-1864) was from Saltlick, O.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > JL
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --
> > > > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > > > > truth."
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> > > > >
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > a
> > >
> > > Andy Bach,
> > > afbach at gmail.com
> > > 608 658-1890 cell
> > > 608 261-5738 wk
> > >
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> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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-- 

a

Andy Bach,
afbach at gmail.com
608 658-1890 cell
608 261-5738 wk

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