[Ads-l] WOTY watch: "meat proxy"

[Charles C Rice]

Great catch on meat person in Oz, Emily. Until you mentioned it I had completely forgotten about "meat dog" from the first book (1900). This is from Chapter 6 where the Lion makes his entrance:

“Is he stuffed?” asked the Lion in surprise, as he watched her pick up
the Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into
shape again.

“Of course he’s stuffed,” replied Dorothy, who was still angry.

“That’s why he went over so easily,” remarked the Lion. “It astonished
me to see him whirl around so. Is the other one stuffed also?”

“No,” said Dorothy, “he’s made of tin.” And she helped the Woodman up
again.

“That’s why he nearly blunted my claws,” said the Lion. “When they
scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. What
is that little animal you are so tender of?”

“He is my dog, Toto,” answered Dorothy.

“Is he made of tin, or stuffed?” asked the Lion.

“Neither. He’s a—a—a meat dog,” said the girl.

“Oh! He’s a curious animal and seems remarkably small, now that I look
at him. No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a
coward like me,” continued the Lion sadly.
-----

Clai Rice

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Emily Gordon <0000205244c4ee9d-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2026 3:25 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: WOTY watch: "meat proxy"

Thanks to Jesse for reminding me of that funny phrase "meat person" in "The
Tin Woodman of Oz." I revisited the novel and
am fascinated by how the Tin Man (né Nick Chopper) explains how, because of
an enchanted axe, he lost his flesh one part at a time. (I think this is
all explained in the first book as well.) A mechanic friend replaced each
part until Nick was all tin, which proved to be superior in every way.
Furthermore:

[Begin excerpt]
"In the Land of Oz," replied the Emperor [of the Winkies, a.k.a. the Tin
Woodman], "no one can ever be killed. A man with a wooden leg or a tin leg
is still the same man; and, as I lost parts of my meat body by degrees, I
always remained the same person as in the beginning, even though in the end
I was all tin and no meat."
[End excerpt]

Which brings me to a line from a song by the musical comedy duo Flanders &
Swann, "The Reluctant Cannibal."

Father cannibal to abstinent son: "If the Juju had meant us not to eat
people, he wouldn't have made us of meat!"

Juju is the name of a male god in this very fictional scenario, while a
"juju man" is a serious term. I don't see an entry in the ADS archive, but
this 1983 paper is a start. I would love to see a more recent reference if
anyone has time to find it.

Bever, Bep Oliver. 1983. “The West African Juju Man and the Tools of His
Trade.” International Journal of Crude Drug Research 21 (3): 97–120.
doi:10.3109/13880208309070623

[Begin excerpt]
What is a "juju man"? To many Africans a "juju man" is someone who has been
initiated into tribal rituals allowing him to be instrumental in promoting
recovery from adversities - and, for most primitive people, disease is an
adversity imposed upon them by outside forces that they do not comprehend.
Many ""juju men" have acquired a knowledge of the medicinal use of local
plants, although, as will be shown later, the use they make of them often
differs basically in its conception from that of the doctor in Western
medicine. But few of them are only herbalists.
[End excerpt]

Britannica contributor Ibo Cbanga, defining "juju," begins (
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftopic%2Fjuju-magic&data=05%7C02%7Ccharles.rice%40LOUISIANA.EDU%7C43614cf0313b40b6a5d608df0414e17c%7C13b3b0cecd7549a4bfea0a03b01ff1ab%7C1%7C0%7C639234164684532762%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=KDfjdRsbj9ozucxGJOiPZ1LFBxSuVL9E1VpfDGbq8DY%3D&reserved=0):<https://www.britannica.com/topic/juju-magic>

[Begin excerpt]
juju, an object that has been deliberately infused with magical power or
the magical power itself; it also can refer to the belief system involving
the use of juju. Juju is practiced in West African countries such as
Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana, although its assumptions are shared by
most African people. It is neither good nor bad, but it may be used for
constructive purposes as well as for nefarious deeds. A monkey’s head is
probably the most common juju in West Africa. The word juju is believed to
be derived from the French joujou (“plaything”), though some sources claim
it is from the Hausa language, meaning “fetish” or “evil spirit.”
[End excerpt]

Live recording of "The Reluctant Cannibal" (YouTube):
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqjAHw2DEBgw&data=05%7C02%7Ccharles.rice%40LOUISIANA.EDU%7C43614cf0313b40b6a5d608df0414e17c%7C13b3b0cecd7549a4bfea0a03b01ff1ab%7C1%7C0%7C639234164684560356%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=D7AeJRrS8hvT%2BDZRTtSI2EMeFoS8Kc%2BUxdnyF511ofU%3D&reserved=0<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjAHw2DEBgw>

Text of The Tin Woodman of Oz (Project Gutenberg EBook):
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gutenberg.org%2Ffiles%2F30852%2F30852-h%2F30852-h.htm&data=05%7C02%7Ccharles.rice%40LOUISIANA.EDU%7C43614cf0313b40b6a5d608df0414e17c%7C13b3b0cecd7549a4bfea0a03b01ff1ab%7C1%7C0%7C639234164684579778%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oACy0Rwfp7%2B1T0PZbT%2B4S9HNQrCeAl0z8mHB3qKJ1v0%3D&reserved=0<https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30852/30852-h/30852-h.htm>



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