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

[Laurence Horn]

My own sense is that the metaphorical + elliptical expression, "tear X a
new one", has been gaining ground on the full version for some time,
presumably because the audience would now be assumed to be familiar with
the latter (while the elliptical form is more elegant/printable).  Google
ngrams bear out this intuition, as seen from "tear him a new one" vs. "tear
him a new asshole", *https://tinyurl.com/yxuorwp6
<https://tinyurl.com/yxuorwp6>.  *Note how the latter is marginally ahead
of the former, both fairly low in attestations, into the turn of the
century, when the former (elliptical) version really takes off.  Of course
the fact that it's google books would skew the results toward the more
readily printable, but it's the change in usage (as well as the sharp angle
of the spike) that I'm focusing on. And "tear them a new one|asshole"
yields similar ngrams.

LH

On Wed, Sep 2, 2020 at 3:10 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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>

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