[Ads-l] "how are you off for soap?"

[Stephen Goranson]

Mr_peter_morris, I agree with you that "it's attacking the other person's personal hygiene," which I take as equivalent to my "this means unwashed, as in
>How are you—being as you are so—off for soap?"
 Your citation adds to that meaning.

In this case I was less interested in the earliest usage than in the meaning, because OED online did not supply one, as follows:
[noun 1]

1.c.
1834–
In the slang phrase, how are you off for soap?
The early examples afford no clue as to the origin of the expression, and their date is against the view that the sense of ‘money’ (see below) was intended.

Stephen G.






________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of mr_peter_morris at outlook.com <mr_peter_morris at OUTLOOK.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 11:00 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: "how are you off for soap?"

You don't list the earlier texts.
Here's a cite from November 1818.  Did you know about this?

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Cambridge_Besieged_Or_The_Rehearsal_of_a/K4feUG2jzDEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=*22off*for*soap*22&pg=PA65&printsec=frontcover__;JSsrJQ!!OToaGQ!vEUQEmROIkPTpTb70IMWMoLJG7mZHUp8idru0aqTpvytrvMKYvPhl9EWDpjV4kJP0QZ4Wdt1doN7dyteKVqtSV_t58o$

"How are you off for soap, you unwashed Musselman?"

Seems to me it's attacking the other person's personal hygiene.


------ Original Message ------
>From "Stephen Goranson"
<0000179d4093b2d6-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 10/12/2024 21:04:53
Subject "how are you off for soap?"

>OED 1834
>In the slang phrase, how are you off for soap?
>The early examples afford no clue as to the origin of the expression, and their date is against the view that the sense of ‘money’ (see below) was intended.
>
>Several earlier texts suggest that this means unwashed, as in
>How are you—being as you are so—off for soap?
>
>sg
>
>
>
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