[Ads-l] break a leg

Thu Jul 16 22:15:26 UTC 2020

i haven't checked HDAS.

Why should I be different from everybody else?

JL

On Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 6:11 PM Andy Bach <afbach at gmail.com> wrote:

> > 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."
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > > The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org<
> > > > > > > http://www.americandialect.org>
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org<
> > > > > > > http://www.americandialect.org>
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > --
> > > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
> the truth."
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > > >
> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > a
> > > >
> > > > Andy Bach,
> > > > afbach at gmail.com
> > > > 608 658-1890 cell
> > > > 608 261-5738 wk
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
> --
>
> a
>
> Andy Bach,
> afbach at gmail.com
> 608 658-1890 cell
> 608 261-5738 wk
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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