[Ads-l] Slang: Create a new posterior orifice metaphorically

[Ben Zimmer]

Interesting research, Garson! While not appropriate for your site, it would
be excellent fodder for the Strong Language blog, where I contribute <
https://stronglang.wordpress.com/>. I could put together a post on this and
any other findings from ADS-Lers on the topic.

--Ben

On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 2:20 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> There is a family of expressions based on the metaphorical creation of
> a new posterior orifice. The meaning is "to injure or rebuke someone"
> (RHDAS) or "to attack someone savagely, either physically or verbally"
> (Green's Slang). Here are some examples:
>
> tear 'em a new asshole
> cut him a new asshole
> fit you for a new asshole
> blow you a new asshole
> ripped them a new asshole
> kick a new asshole into someone
>
> I received a request to explore this topic, but it does not fit my
> website which is largely advertiser-friendly. So I decided to perform
> preliminary research which I am now sharing:
>
> What is currently known:
>
> Green’s Dictionary of Slang has an entry with citations beginning in
> 1969. The first citation is bracketed. Click on the four line symbol
> at the end of the timeline to see the citations.
> https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/x2lfcjy
>
> JL's "Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang" has an
> entry (page 47) with citations beginning in 1968.
>
> Subreddit r/etymology has a web page with citations beginning in 1965.
>
> https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/5shx7f/origin_of_the_phrase_tear_subj_a_new_one/
>
> What I found:
>
> There is a Google snippet match circa 1958. The match looks solid, but
> I have not verified it with hardcopy or scans which is necessary.
>
> Year: 1958
> Book: Ruled by the Whip: Hell Behind Bars in America's Devil's Island,
> the Arkansas State Penitentiary
> Author: Dale Woodcock
> Quote Page 50 (maybe)
> Database: Google Books snippet match; requires verification with hard
> copy or scans
>
> [Begin snippet text]
> When I get home I'll cut him a new asshole. Law! What's it good for?
> If they'd put everybody in jail that's out an' let everybody out
> that's in, it wouldn't make any change.
> [End snippet text]
>
> An article on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas supports the 1958 date for
> "Ruled by the Whip".
> https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/ruled-by-the-whip-book-12426/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Ruled by the Whip: Hell behind Bars in America’s Devil’s Island, the
> Arkansas Penitentiary is a 1958 self-published autobiographical
> account written by Dale Woodcock. One of the few printed accounts by
> an Arkansas prisoner, the book chronicles Woodcock’s experiences at
> Cummins prison farm in the 1950s.
> [End excerpt]
>
> There is blind match in HathiTrust for the phrase "fit you for a new
> asshole" on page 275 of a book dated 1959. A blind match (my
> terminology) means that no snippet is shown and no context is visible.
> So this match must be verified with hardcopy or scans.
>
> Year: 1959
> Book: The Numbers of Our Days: A Novel
> Author: Francis Irby Gwaltney
> Publisher: Random House, New York
> Quote Page 275 (maybe)
>
> [Begin search phrase match]
> "fit you for a new asshole"
> [End search phrase match]
>
> There is a Google snippet match circa 1960.
>
> Year: 1960
> Book: A Step in the River: A Novel
> Author: Francis Irby Gwaltney
> Publisher: Random House, New York
> Quote Page 108 (maybe)
> Database: Google Books snippet match; requires verification with hard
> copy or scans
>
> [Begin snippet text]
> “Now by God, John Frank, you remember: Doc'd spit in your face and fit
> you for a new asshole if you start offering to build any bridges or
> roads. Ask 'im what he's got in mind and then tell 'im he'll get it.
> But be sure to tell 'im right away that you ...
> [End snippet text]
>
> Garson
>
>

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