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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread suck #118402 12/28/2003 2:42 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I have for a long time been appalled by casual use of this word as trivial pejorative. When I first heard it a long time ago it was a fighting word. Just now I stumbled on this, the first time I have had my reaction to it confirmed. "suck - O.E. sucan, corresponding to L. sugere "to suck," from PIE root *sug-/*suk-, of imitative origin. Meaning "do fellatio" is first recorded 1928. Slang sense of "be contemptible" first attested 1971 (the underlying notion is of fellatio). Suck eggs is from 1906. Suckling is early 13c. " Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter suck = bad? #118403 12/28/2003 7:38 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 2,661 Chicago musick Carpal Tunnel musick Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 2,661 Chicago Slang sense of "be contemptible" first attested 1971 (the underlying notion is of fellatio). Please clarify, Br Bill. I'll attest to it's use before 1971, but I'm not sure to which use this is referring. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: suck = bad? #118404 12/28/2003 7:50 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I too think it was much older, even back into the thirties. I took that from a site I use a lot was couldn't rememer site name of accurately. I find it just by searchin for "Etymology suck" in Yahoo search box. I'll go look for it and edit name in. Edit: Here's the URL to site I got that from: http://www.etymonline.com/s13etym.htm Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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