Towse: views from the hill

January 11, 2007

[URL] Double-Tongued Dictionary: Slang, jargon, and new words from the fringes of English.

Filed under: URL,wordstuff — Towse @ 7:51 pm

From Grant Barrett, lexicographer for The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English, Double-Tongued Dictionary: Slang, jargon, and new words from the fringes of English.

RSS feed or just wander. Comments are entertaining too.

e.g. cheddar curtain n. the divisions real and imagined that separate Wisconsin from neighboring states, especially Illinois. Also cheese curtain. Related: Sconnie, Wisconsin, English

Editorial Note: This term is parellel [sic] to Orange curtain, cotton curtain, and other, similar terms.

Citations: 1992 Chicago Sun-Times (Aug. 7) “The Mix” p. 5: Lift the cheddar curtain. The Wisconsin State Fair celebrates its 100th year in its current location at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis., through Aug. 16. 1993 [Julian Macassey] Usenet: alt.tasteless (Nov. 10) “Re: Tasteless Secret Santa”: At that time of year (Feb, March), I will probably be in Wisconsin. So I will fly back from behind the Cheddar curtain. 1994 [Bob Christ] Usenet: alt.tasteless (Jan. 14) “Re: Rock ‘n Roll for geezers”: He’s done it! Julian has moved behind the cheese curtain. 1994 [Joseph Betz] Usenet: talk.bizarre (Oct. 12) “Re: Longest Known Palindrome”: Wisconsin—Behind the Cheese Curtain. 2003 A. Forester Jones Yellow Snow (June) p. 65: The pilot announced that they had crossed the “Cheddar Curtain” and were over Wisconsin. Adam started visually searching the land below for large warehouses stuffed with surplus cheese. 2005 Northwest Herald (Chicago) (May 23) “Don’t let road work ruin travel”: People heading to Wisconsin can find information about road construction behind the cheddar curtain by logging onto http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov. 2006 Bike Black Ribbon (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) (Nov. 19) “BBRS Ride with the Bums”: Mid November, behind the cheese curtain is not known for its balmy climes or great trail conditions, but this particular November day turned out to be dry, with a few peaks at blue sky.

January 6, 2007

Balderdash & Piffle – help rewrite the OED

Filed under: wordstuff — Towse @ 1:17 am

Help write the OED.

Balderdash & Piffle – help rewrite the OED

The OED seeks to find the earliest verifiable usage of every single word in the English language – currently 600,000 in the OED and counting – and of every separate meaning of every word. Quite a task! The forty words on the appeal list all have a date next to them – corresponding to the earliest evidence the dictionary currently has for that word of phrase. Can you trump that?

e.g. flip flop

WANTED: Verifiable evidence before 1970.

Ever hear the joke about the Frenchman in sandals? Phillipe Floppe? Never mind. The onomatopoeic word flip-flop referred to a somersault, an electronic circuit, and a manner of moving noisily, before it came to mean a rubber sandal beloved of antipodeans, although of course they call them jandals or (how wrong can you get?) thongs… Flip-flop is the word we are interested in here, and the OED wants your evidence of the word from before 1970.

The OED has a list of words that they’re looking to find earliest usage. If you’re able to provide CONCRETE dates and usage with verifiable references for the words they’re looking for, drop them a line.

I found a couple of earlier dates using Googja and handy references and sent them on this afternoon. They may already have received those ante-datings, but maybe not and the more the merrier.

Join in.

December 23, 2006

Herb Caen is spinning in his grave

Filed under: wordstuff — Towse @ 12:39 am

(as I commented on Zen’s blog) and repeat here because I think it’s worth repeating. …

The San Francisco Chronicle had an article late last month re Ferlinghetti getting tapped for a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres.

[...]

Ferlinghetti was pleased. When I first showed up to San Francisco after World War II, I was still wearing my French beret.

Later on in the article,

Although his surname and North Beach neighborhood bookstore usually associate him with Italians, Ferlinghetti has a strong French connection. His mother is part French, some of his best friends are French and many of his favorite memories are from living in France, he said.

In fact, Ferlinghetti would rather be called French than a beatnick.

“Obliterate that word,” he said. “I came to San Francisco before the beats. I was more of a bohemian and what they called a nonconformist. I didn’t do the 9 to 5, which is quite a French-based belief.”

beatnick? BEATNICK?

Our own Herb Caen coined the word back when and the Chronicle should have “beatnik” somewhere in their spellchecker.

For shame.

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