April 16, 2006

• It's sad, really. He wasn't in Britain when he said it, and he isn't British, nor was the interviewer to whom he said it. And "spaz" is a generational slang term in America, having nothing whatsoever to do with psychological or neurological pathology. Tiger grew up part of that generation. So the fact that British bleeding hearts are smearing him is a shame. It's kind of like the "shag" thing. I knew a nurse from Scotland who'd say "fuck" and not bat an eye, but when Austin Poweres 2 was released, and we were all laughing about the title ("The Spy Who Shagged Me"), she'd turn beet red and get very quiet. It's akin to the debate on MoFi several weeks back about the Indian girl whose family is suing Spielberg for cutting her hair...Tiger was under no obligation to "know the rules" for a country that's foreign to him, and thus he wasn't being insensitive. He's not at fault for his comments having been aired worldwide, or for the fact that another culture has a different meaning for the word. Word.
• Stop being a minge.
• For the vulgar Americans in our midst: Minge
• He isn't the only one. My sincerest apologies to any spazzes who may have been offended by my comment.
• Funny how it works. "Cunt" over here'll risk you a kick in the huevos, but "crap" almost isn't considered swearing.
• Don't confuse the broadcasting standards listed on the other thread with street-speak. 'Crap' in the UK is not considered rude by most people.
• Thanks for clearing that up, craphead. That actually threw me. Crapface. Crap.
• Ask an aussie about 'rooting' for the home team.
• Or being "stuffed" after a large meal :)
• *longs for languagehat ahd his word expertise* Spazz is a relatively recent term, derived from the word spasm, which I understand Sister Elizabeth Kinney coined in her attempts to combat neuralogical damage (especially to children) stricken by polio aka infantile paralysis. With the development of Salk's and later Sabine's vaccines, the disease ceased to be a threat to kid or adults, but common knowledge of polio's physical effects on victims also diminished greatly. Which is natural enough, and for which fact anyone like myself old enough to recall days before the vaccines must be grateful. Ach! If we must celibrate public figures, and hold them up for public admiration, why don't we look among the ranks of such as Jonas Salk or Louis Pasteur instead of pretending athleticism is worth a flying ****? Realize this view is none too popular among the sports-crazed these days, but I adhere to it nonetheless.
• =neurological
• My mother has two kittens named Willie and Dick. It was totally unintentional. I can't wait 'til she takes them in to be neutered.
• I thought it came from the Latin, spasmos, to convulse.
• You think that's bad, Underpants. One of my ancestors was named John Thomas.
• My great aunt was named Cunty Twat McCuntyknickers. Such a dear old soul.
• The best example of this sort of thing, I think, is "Fanny Pack". A positively G rated term in the U.S., but not so much in, say, Australia.
• Another one is the word "spunk" which means chutzpah, I suppose, in the US but which means MAN GOO, BALL BUTTER or COCK CUSTARD in the UK & Oz.
• Chy, believe that may well have been her source of inspiration for the coinage. But could be wrong here. As I said, this one calls for languagehat.
• My mother grew up thinking 'twat' meant the same as 'bumm' or 'rear-end'. As kids we often faced public threats of being smacked in the twat if we didn't do as she said.
• Chy, I've just rummaged several dictionaries: the origin of spasm [1st edition OED] seems firmly established in English from around 1400. So what I said above is definitely wrong insofar as any modern coinage goes. Sister Kinney didn't cobble this up from some obscure classical root (as I had been led to believe/concluded/assumed in my youth thanks to a venerable teacher; the deficiencies of my multi-national education, piecemeal as it has been, I must always consider suspect). I do apologize if I've confused anyone (besides myself) here. [Yet what I do notice, and possibly pertinant -- or possibly not -- is that the use of the word spasm as a verb isn't in the OED nor in the old [1913] Funk and Wagnall's. Doing justice to my old teacher's memory, he was otherwise painstakingly honest about what he taught us. Polio was a Very Big Deal when I was young, so teachers dwelt on it and its many ramifications to the point where kids undoubtedly tuned much out. The fault here is all mine, I'm sure.
• Verb was in use by 1900, according to ye Online Etymology Dictionary. Don't berate yourself, dear chap, I was only interested since I'm a bit of a word hoarder.
• Wow! Words are a firstworstlasting passion with me. Afraid I care terribly about them -- and probably dull as hell for others to encounter. Thanks for a delightful new link!
• Actually forgot to make it a link, but thankfully easy to find. On the subject of word-lore, I've been writing stories since I learned to actually write, so language is something of a love of mine too. I have been toying with the idea of learning Latin, bees. Any advice? My plan is to learn Latin & Japanese.
• / 4 ever B rated
• "Spunk" is used for man mustard in Canada too.
• /adds 'man mustard' to list of euphemisms thanks!
• Oops -- do we cross in the night/afternoon Oz-time/Maritime? Since this is a forumish setup we're in, I'll just say: can think of two non-compulsory objectives in learning Latin [other than sheer self-gratification/ slaking of innate/insatiable curiosity, which I expect is you]: 1. focus on Latin roots and other parts of speech as they affect speakers/writers of modern English and other languages or 2. focus on why ancient Romans were what/who they were -- not think of 'em as if they were modern folk in period disguise Possible to have both aims, but suggest you focus on one or the other just at first. Dip in a trotter, so to speak, not go whole hog right off the bat. In these parts, interested adults can often audit courses or classes at local colleges and universities for a nominal fee; see if anything like that's available where you are. Right now, in North America, colleges open their arms to adult education types -- and let's face it, a lot of us just wern't ready for this when we were young -- and what have we got to lose now? It's diverting, it keeps you abreast of what the kids are up to, and you can actually cultivate a passion you'd suppressed.
• "Chutzpah" sounds awfully "spunky" to my non-native ears. /orders a copy of Profanisaurus while humming "Spunky Clorissa" by Bela Fleck
• One of my ancestors was named John Thomas. Two friends of mine had their vasectomies performed by a doctor named Bob Johnson. True story.
• Someone at work called me a snapperhead. She had no idea what it meant.
• Has there ever been a more inapt nickname than "Magic Johnson" or a better euphemism than "man chowder"?
• First episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Lou Grant says to job applicant Mary Richards: Lou: "You know what you've got? Spunk." (pause, while Mary blushes at the praise) Lou: "I HATE spunk!" I guess the Brits would have not understood that exchange...
• Latin - as beeswacky mentioned, it's good for learning about how modern languages are structured - I learnt more about English in Latin class than I ever did in English class. I don't recommend studying it the same time as Japanese though. I studied Latin, German and Japanese at the same time and look what it has done to me.....
• My great aunt was named Cunty Twat McCuntyknickers. For the record, orange juice is very messy on the monitor. Damn you moneyjane for a good one! (Or I supose I should say, "darn you, monied person for an efficacious if ribald witticism" just to make sure no one takes offense).
• I once had an Australian girlfriend who would laugh and laugh at the name of the American restarant "Perko's". Seems in Australia, "to perk" is to vomit. This was years ago and I've never been to Oz, so help me out Ozzies.
• I've never heard that one.
• Has there ever been a ... better euphemism than "man chowder"? Baby batter? I heard they had to change the name of the Chevy Nova in Mexico, because "no va" means "doesn't go" in Spanish.
• Cock snot.
• And it was such a simple case of mistaken choice of words; when the countess said, "thither," she most certainly meant, "hither!" Oh, guffaw! Guffaw! Guffaw!
• That cock snot one goes well with the meat hanky euphemism.
• spasmos Billyuns and billyuns . . . I'd be very afeared of learning Latin and Japanese at the same time. That sounds like two foods that definitely don't go together.
• I didn't say I was going to learn them at the same time, merely that I planned to learn them.
• At least Tiger wasn't sucking on a FAG when he said it.
• Interesting you should mention that, Ralph. It used to be possible to use 'spunk' in the innocent sense in the UK. I was at school when that episode of the Mary Tyler Moore show was first on in Britain, and my fellow pupils discovered to their delight that the young English master had seen it but did not know the rude meaning of 'spunk'. They persuaded him to repeat that bit of dialogue several times while they (alright, we) fell about. He thought it was his comedic delivery that was getting the laughs.
• Drifting further off the subject, you may know that Browning, as the result of a complicated misunderstanding, thought the word 'twat' meant a nun's headress, and used it in that sense in a poem. Everyone was too polite to explain: he must have wondered why that particular verse didn't get anthologised much.
• Mrs. Dog likes to tell the story of when she was at an awards banquet and a community service award was about to be bestowed upon a female senior citizen of the community who had many lifetime civic accomplishments to her credit. The person introducing her was outlining her illustrious career, and got to her work as one of the very few female Boy Scout leaders. He noted that she she had worked very hard with that organization, and that "she even has a Silver Beaver!" Much coffee-thru-the-nose followed.
• I've heard that in so many forms as the Great Canadian Urban Legend. Nice to hear it actually being true for once! (Oh, guffaw!)
• Shut up you fucking Scopers.
• Chy, this, and some of the links here might be useful re the Latin.