[Ads-l] reamed, steamed, and [dry-]cleaned

[Jonathan Lighter]

'Thoroughly worn out, humiliated, victimized, or abused; (also) exhausted
by various sexual activities.'

Not in OED.

1927 _The Howitzer of 1927_ (West Point, N.Y.: USMA, 1927) 67: "Reamed,
steamed, and cleaned" signifies our belief of the "purpose of visit"
requirement on a week-end leave blank.

1941 Writer's Digest (Oct.) 41:  But please omit orphans' picnics, home for
old folks, etc. These have been reamed, steamed and dry-cleaned  in the
comics.

1949 United States Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare _Labor
Relations: Hearing on S.249.81-1_ (Washington, D.C.: USGPO) 1589: Senator
HUMPHREY: So help me, there have been a thousand, yea unto a million,
individual people in this country that have been cheated, reamed, steamed,
and dry-cleaned on the market, through bank failures, through speculation,
and everything else.

1962 Thomas Berger _Reinhart in Love_ ( rpt. N.Y.: Dell, 1982)  356: Arnie,
your goose is reamed, steamed, and dry cleaned. The things you done with
public moneys would grow fur on a fish!

1969 Philip Roth _Portnoy's Complaint_ (rpt. N.Y.: Bantam, 1970) 199: But
you said we were going to get laid! cried Mandel. “You said we were going
to get blowed! Reamed, steamed,and dry-cleaned that’s what you said!”

1979 _Sports Illustrated_ (Oct. 8) 48: The result: the rich got richer; the
poor got reamed, steamed and dry-cleaned.

1985 Jeane Eddy Westin _Love and Glory_  (N.Y.: Simon & Schuster) 212: As
barracks talk had it, she'd been reamed, steamed and dry-cleaned!

1985 Scott Sommer _Hazzard's Head_ (N.Y.: Poseidon Press) 24: “What a
night,’’ resumed the Punk, winking to the Son as the Father eavesdropped.
“‘I got reamed, steamed and dry-cleaned!”’"I've never heard such vile
language!' the mother cried.

1989 James Ellroy _The Big Nowhere_  (rpt. London: Arrow) 34: “Mickey,
you’re popular with the ladies, you must get reamed, steamed and
dry-cleaned regularly.

 Etc.

Cf. "screwed, blewed, and tattooed."

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

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