[Ads-l] Antedatings of "screwball"

Fri Aug 12 17:41:24 UTC 2022

It's a shame that Mister Ed, who was a big Dodgers fan (he frequently gave advice to Leo Durocher), didn't live to see the Dodgers' current success.

Fred Shapiro

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2022 11:39 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedatings of "screwball"

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://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DVJNcEgTTCXY&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942288768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jNN8aS84JXBhBk33VrZCSuJ4Jh7pXWv%2Fsi4FC397Fbo%3D&reserved=0
> >
> > 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://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8bZJk0G4U_8&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942288768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=n1nX3tEaI8SaH%2F6m8GCdUlE25SXQnk4MXplVHFcriz8%3D&reserved=0
> > >
> > > 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://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2F4xtvvebt&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942288768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AVXJPY1vtWontQvxuywCBjVRbnThpdgTWl59hqqYvg4%3D&reserved=0
> > > >
> > > > JL
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 8:08 AM Jonathan Lighter <
> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Yes, indeedy. In 1868, e.g.:
> > > > >
> > > > > https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2F2p8pt92k&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942288768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PBCQMSZP6bc1of48SluQK52PBuFuSCFBtv9O%2BAFL9Ew%3D&reserved=0
> > > > >
> > > > > 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 - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942288768%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HBkmF2YThJ9%2BLceqDmoW0EnK5r%2BpPEZMtULhEqGY0zw%3D&reserved=0
> > > > >>> >
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > >>> The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942444999%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Dg2zeRbQrE50bpi%2F61tr3dJnSEMHjsavz3Q5EFO75k0%3D&reserved=0
> > > > >>>
> > > > >>
> > > > >>
> > > > >> --
> > > > >> "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 - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942444999%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Dg2zeRbQrE50bpi%2F61tr3dJnSEMHjsavz3Q5EFO75k0%3D&reserved=0
> > > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942444999%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Dg2zeRbQrE50bpi%2F61tr3dJnSEMHjsavz3Q5EFO75k0%3D&reserved=0
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942444999%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Dg2zeRbQrE50bpi%2F61tr3dJnSEMHjsavz3Q5EFO75k0%3D&reserved=0
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C2f4c7166e8c441d4eb4e08da7c78e653%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637959155942444999%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Dg2zeRbQrE50bpi%2F61tr3dJnSEMHjsavz3Q5EFO75k0%3D&reserved=0
>

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

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