[Ads-l] Antedatings of "screwball"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Ol' Skew had it all.

JL

On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 11:38 AM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> 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
>


-- 
"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