[Ads-l] Early (?) infixing

[Andy Bach]

Googling "indegoddamnpendent" finds a book on Alger Hiss with a quote from
him where he says "as they say in Vermont, he's too indegoddamnpendent"

On Wed, Nov 30, 2022 at 12:22 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

> Interesting topic, Ben.
> The Oxford English Dictionary has pertinent information within the
> entry about 'absolutely'.
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> absolutely, adv. and int.
> B. int. colloquial.
> 2. With an expletive infixed for humorous emphasis, as
> abso-blessed-lutely, abso-bloody-lutely, abso-blooming-lutely, etc.
> 1909   R. E. Beach Silver Horde xi. 147   'Did you rustle this money
> without any help?' he demanded. 'Abso-blooming-lutely!'
> 1912   A. M. N. Lyons Clara xxiv. 265   His Information was
> abso-blessed-lutely good and all the very latest; right Up-to-Date.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Wed, Nov 30, 2022 at 10:54 AM Ben Yagoda <byagoda at udel.edu> wrote:
> >
> > From Walt McDougall, “Old Days on the World,” American Mercury, January
> 1925. McDougall, an illustrator, is writing about his time on The World in
> the 1880s and ‘90s.
> >
> >  “[Joseph] Pulitzer and [John A.] Cockerill were the most profane men I
> have ever encountered. I learned much from them, for their joint vocabulary
> was extensive and in some respects unique. When J. P. was dictating an
> editorial upon some pet topic, such as Collis P. Huntington's ill-gotten
> wealth, Jay Gould's infamous railroad wrecking or Cyrus Field's income, his
> speech was so interlarded with sulphurous and searing phrases that the
> whole staff shuddered. He was the first man I ever heard who split a word
> to insert an oath. He did it often, and his favorite was
> ‘indegoddamnpendent.’”
> >
> > Ben
> >
> > www.benyagoda.com
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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a

Andy Bach,
afbach at gmail.com
608 658-1890 cell
608 261-5738 wk

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