[Ads-l] Antedatings of "screwball"

[Laurence Horn]

Excellent rendition, but one that seems to involve a blend of Skewball,
Stewball, and Mister Ed.  A talking horse, of course of course.

On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 11:20 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> And not just Steeleye (with the inicredible Maddy Prior).The exceptional
> Andy Irvine too:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJNcEgTTCXY
>
> JL
>
> On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 10:56 AM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > Well, a lot of horse hockey under the bridge over the last 200 years,
> but I
> > notice that the Grey Mare, despite being the betting favorite, was
> already
> > eating the noble Skewball's dust back then, as she still does in the age
> of
> > Joan Baez, Peter Paul & Mary, et al.  Well, Stewball's dust.  (Squire
> > Mirvin seems to have fallen out of the story.) Steeleye Span preserves
> > Skewball's name in the original form along with the hapless and nameless
> > Grey Mare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bZJk0G4U_8
> >
> > LH
> >
> > On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 8:16 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > And here's Skewie with long esses:
> > >
> > > https://tinyurl.com/4xtvvebt
> > >
> > > JL
> > >
> > > On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 8:08 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Yes, indeedy. In 1868, e.g.:
> > > >
> > > > https://tinyurl.com/2p8pt92k
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 8:02 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> On Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 9:49 PM Laurence Horn <
> laurence.horn at yale.edu
> > >
> > > >> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> So "Stewball" started out as "Skewball", who started out as
> > "Skewbald",
> > > >>> not
> > > >>> to be confused with "Piebald"--a more widely attested equine but
> with
> > > no
> > > >>> musical legacy.
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> On Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 9:09 PM Jonathan Lighter <
> > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>> > I
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > 1866: OED (in cricket)
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > 1839  _Sun_ (Baltimore) (June 10) 3: AUCTION OF DURHAM
> > > >>> > CATTLE..._Screwball_, red and white, bred by Gen. Gresham
> Parsons,
> > of
> > > >>> > Brighton, Mass.
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > Doubtless an unlisted variant of "skewbald." Cf. "Skewball was a
> > > >>> > racehorse...."
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > II
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > 1933: OED
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > 1932  _Milwaukee Journal _ (Nov. 8) 24: Johnny “Screwball” Blood
> –
> > > >>> Whence
> > > >>> > that “screwball”? Well, sir, it’s this way – Mr. Blood is a bit
> of
> > an
> > > >>> > eccentric. He is inclined to cut capers.
> > > >>> >
> > > >>> > 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
> > > >>> >
> > > >>>
> > > >>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >>> 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."
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> > > truth."
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > "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
> >
>
>
> --
> "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