[Ads-l] The m-word

[Jonathan Lighter]

My wife, from Queens, N.Y., reports belatedly that her aunt (b. in NYC ca
1890) used to say "erl" (as it's written) for "oil" because, the aunt said
- wait for it - the "oi" sound was "vulgar."

Of course, I was told in first or second grade that it was the "erl" sound
that was vulgar.  (My grandfather said "erl" too.)

JL

On Sat, Aug 27, 2022 at 8:04 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Actually, it's burly Stefon Diggs.
>
> JL
>
> On Fri, Aug 26, 2022 at 1:47 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>  Burly Ezekiel Elliott to godlike Kevin Hart on TV ad for DraftKings'
>> Reignmakers non-fungible fantasy-sports-betting whatchacallit thing:
>>
>> " *Please* stop saying 'moist.' "
>>
>> JL
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 26, 2007 at 10:36 AM Laurence Urdang <urdang at sbcglobal.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Laurence Urdang <urdang at SBCGLOBAL.NET>
>>> Subject:      Re: The m-word
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> It is increasingly difficult  finding a TV program in which the main
>>> competition isn't something like projectile vomiting; but if one watches
>>> things like the Last Comic Standing and listens to what passes these days
>>> for humor, if is not hard to see why.
>>>   L. Urdang
>>>   Old Lyme
>>>
>>> Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter
>>> Subject: Re: The m-word
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Charlie, you'll have noticed the current TV commercials that feature
>>>
>>> A. a bouncing balloon filled with urine, and
>>>
>>> B. giant anthropomorphic mucus.
>>>
>>> Market researchers seem to have determined that these images are very
>>> appealing to today's prime demographic. They'll move products. (Or
>>> "product," as products are so often called on TV.)
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> Charles Doyle wrote:
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>>> Poster: Charles Doyle
>>> Subject: Re: The m-word
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> You'd think that "misty" and "moisty" might be distantly cognate, but
>>> evidently they aren't. "Mist" seems to go back to an IU root meaning
>>> "urinate" (cf. "micturate"), whereas "moist" comes from L "mucus"!
>>> Pokorny's note on the root "meug-" is interesting: 'slimy, slippery; with
>>> derivatives referring to various wet or slimy substances and conditions';
>>> possible derivatives include OE "smok" ('smock'), MHG "smuck" ('clothing',
>>> from whence "Schmuck" 'jewel'!) and the Greek-derived "-mycin" words,
>>> having to do with fungus or mold.
>>>
>>> I'm starting to think the word "moist" IS disgusting--and "misty" too!
>>>
>>> Just to clarify: My student and her sisters were not being outraged at
>>> my use of the word--rather amused that I should be so clueless as not to
>>> recognize the indelicacy of it.
>>>
>>> --Charlie
>>> _____________________________________________________________
>>>
>>> ---- Original message ----
>>> >Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:35:51 -0400
>>> >From: Kate Daly
>>> >
>>> >As in the old nursery rhyme "One misty moisty morning"?
>>> >
>>> >And btw - speaking as a woman, and a feminist from way back at that,
>>> the idea of "moist" being offensive sounds pretty silly to me. I think the
>>> original poster's student was making snowballs for other people to throw.
>>> >-Kate
>>>
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>>>
>>
>> --
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
>>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>


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

------------------------------------------------------------
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