[Ads-l] Thoughts on "doodly-squat"

[Virginia Euwer Wolff]

Zora Neale Hurston's 1935 book, Mules and Men, in Perennial Library's edition, 1990, page 64:

" 'Oh, Ah ain't got doodley squat,' I countered."  

It's in Hurston's narrative voice, with that spelling and no hyphen. 

Virginia 

> On Apr 30, 2023, at 12:12 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
>> a serious scholar might spend years on the study of wretched subjects
> 
> Never do this!
> 
> JL
> 
> On Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 10:51 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Impressive etymological excavation, Ben. Thanks for sharing.
>> Garson
>> 
>> On Sat, Apr 29, 2023 at 10:58 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Of potential interest: a new post of mine on the Strong Language blog,
>>> remembering Billy "The Kid" Emerson, who brought "squatitives" to the
>>> masses with his 1955 song "Red Hot" ("My gal is red hot / Your gal ain't
>>> doodly-squat").
>>> 
>>> https://stronglang.wordpress.com/2023/04/29/your-gal-aint-doodly-squat/
>>> 
>>> List regulars Jonathan Lighter and Larry Horn are liberally cited.
>>> 
>>> --bgz
>>> 
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> 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


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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org