[Ads-l] "Natty" = 'national champion(ship)'

Tue Jan 9 22:39:04 UTC 2024

Gordon, Matthew J. wrote:
> I haven’t heard this usage but note that there’s a precedent
> for “natty” < “national” in “Natty Boh”  as the nickname for
> National Bohemian, a beer that was popular among poor
> college students when I was one.

In 1985 an article in "The Evening Sun" of Baltimore discussed the
100th anniversary of National Bohemian Beer and used the term "Natty
Boh" as mentioned by Matt.

Date: February 6, 1985
Newspaper: The Evening Sun
Newspaper Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Article:  Chester Peake lends a hand in celebration
Author: Tom Osborne (Financial Editor)
Quote Page F1, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
Good old Natty Boh--a Maryland original is still made here at
Heileman's Lansdowne brewery just off the Beltway.
[End excerpt]

In 1993 a student newspaper for Middlebury College referred to cases
of "Natty Light" which I believe corresponds to Natural Light beer. So
there are at least two senses of "natty" in the beer domain:

Date: November 4, 1993
Newspaper: The Middlebury Campus
Newspaper Location: Middlebury, Vermont
Article:  Informal student survey finds bad habits, good parties
Author: David Huneryager
Quote Page 18, Column 1
Database: Internet Archive via archive.org

[Begin excerpt]
No one can deny that alcohol is a big part of a typical Middlebury
weekend. Considering that the trash cans in dorm lobbies are full of
Natty Light cases most Saturdays, it seemed an especially fitting day
to conduct a poll concerning alcohol at Middlebury.
[End excerpt]

Green’s Dictionary of Slang has a few senses for "natty", but none
correspond to "national".

natty, n.1 a spruce, smart person; a dandy.
natty, n.2 1. dreadlocks. 2. a person with dreadlocks.
natty, adj. 1. of individuals, well-dressed, smart. 2. of objects,
typically clothing, neat, spruce. 3. adept with the hands; skilful in
any manner.
natty lad (n.) a young thief or pickpocket.

Garson

> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 at 10:19 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: "Natty" = 'national champion(ship)'
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>
> I’ve been hearing this truncation for a while, and again tonight (for obvious reasons).  Not sure how long it’s been around. Somewhat interesting phonologically, given that its derivation involves de-spirantization.
>
> LH
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