A "mischief night" was just that. Mischief one night a year. Now we have muggers and miscreants running loose night and day. "The good ole days" really were the good ole days
I guess if you consider a cold wooden seat on a sub-zero night and wading through the effluvia of animals that didn't have the luxury of that cold wooden seat to be "good" then maybe they were the good ole days.
Not to mention a zillion other things that contributed to an average life span of approximately 35 years.
BTW, byb, [couldn't resist that phrase!] that's precisely why I chose the word "untippable". Presumably everyone is familiar with the meaning of "a Mae West", using her name as a noun? (cross-thread to "products named for people")
Presumably everyone is familiar with the meaning of "a Mae West", using her name as a noun?
Funny you mentioned that, Keiva. I just learned the word "antonomasia" today, and was vaguely surprised to find that a Board search came up empty. Neat word, huh? .
Presumably everyone is familiar with the meaning of "a Mae West", using her name as a noun?
Um, no. Here a Mae West is usually a) the actress b) a small circular white cake about 3 1/2 inches in diameter x 1 inch high, covered in chocolate and filled with a creamy yellow vanilla frosting.
The night before Hallowe'en was called "gate-night" in Manitoba.
I also associate "built like a brick s**ithouse" with someone (male or female) who is big and muscular. It never, ever, ever occurred to me that it had a more specific anatomical connotation.
There was a store in Winnipeg called "The Brick Shirthouse". I don't know if it's still there.
By def 2, it doesn't seem to quite fit the bill. Calling any actress (or any huskily sexy actress) a Mae West would fit, but I don't see it for a life jacket or a small circular white cake.
I don't find eponomasia in the discredited AHD. Perhaps it's in the discredited OED. tsuwm?
Faldage, i don't see it either for a small white cake, but a vest, that creates two large bulges on the chest, and you don't understand why it's called a mae west?
my condolences, AnnaS, i have my doubts about men,in general, but faldage (and most of the motely crew here) seem brighter than most.. it he doesn't get a mae west, then you sure have your work cut out for yourself. No wonder you haven't been able to post for a while!
I understand why the life vest is called a mae west. What I was *trying to say is that I don't see is calling a life vest a mae west as an example of antonomasia.
What I was *trying to say is that I don't see is calling a life vest a mae west as an example of antonomasia.
the term is new to me, but my inclination would be that "Mae West" could be considered a member of the class of "individuals or things which are or appear to be top heavy", in which case the term could be arguably be correctly applied, no? *must the most obvious class to which the personal name would be attributed be the *only class to which it can be antonomastically associated?
"Mae West" could be considered a member of the class of "individuals or things which are or appear to be top heavy"
Still it seems contrived to me. Consider this: if the life vest were not named after Ms. West, would you lump them together on a test asking you to group items by category?
The word is not as close as some other could be; if there is no word for the process of making an eponym there should be. If it's not eponomasia whatever it is is the word we are looking for.
Consider this: if the life vest were not named after Ms. West, would you lump them together on a test asking you to group items by category?
Well, if the items on the list were "Mae West, Twiggy, Venus, pencil, pear, life preserver", how would *you categorize them?
Hrm, now that I've typed that i can see your point about being contrived. Nevermind.
How about eponymy?
Eponymy: The introduction of a new word into the language from the names of people with whom the things or practices they stand for were associated. boycott from Capt. Charles Cunningham Boycott; mesmerize from F. A. Mesmer
Ye gads but you folks are all *young! Mae West was an actress, playwriter and movie star amply endowed with a formidable bosom. She was born in the late 1890s and was in the public eye for many years. Probably one of the earliest "Blonde Bombshells" and "sex symbol." However, in the early years of WWII for some reason that now escapes me, Mae West had a chest Xray and the Xray was published in LIFE magazine ... Naturally the breasts' shadows were readily visible. Anyways, after the photo was published the American servicemen started calling their life vests Mae Wests. The expression spread like wildfire! Now, checking OED it says a Mae West is an inflatabale life jacket originally issued to the Royal Air Force in 1939-1945. That's all I got or could recall, folks.
the American servicemen started calling their life vests Mae Wests...originally issued to the Royal Air Force in 1939-1945.
Hey, it almost kinda sorta sounds like it could've been a bit of [loose] rhyming slang (isn't that a Brit thing?) Or is rhyming slang a *new linguistic phenomenon?
As I recall, Cockney rhyming slang is not new -- but it typically creates a one-word slang term out of a two-word phrase. (Mav perhaps can advise?) That process could not create "Mae West" out of "vest".
Ah now I understand what you folks are saying - a Mae West is a life vest. NEVER heard that before in my life.
Mae West for cake: well, it was designed with her in mind. The yellow frosting (blond hair), white cake (for a look of purity) and chocolate covered (for the sinful side).
It is also used as a nickname for French people in Québec. On their work breaks French people will most often have "un Mae West pi un Pepsi" (a Mae West and a Pepsi). We were the biggest consumers of both these items in Canada for the longest time. So both these terms are used to describe French Québecers.
it typically creates a one-word slang term out of a two-word phrase.
Well, not quite. The canonical process starts with a single word from which is derived a two word phrase (or two words linked with an AND) in which the second word rhymes with the one word being replaced. Then the second word of the two word phrase is dropped and the first word is used exclusively*. Example: Peaches and Cream for dream -- Oy 'ad the stryngest peaches last noight. This would result in a life vest being called a Mae. One problem here would be that I don't think the Brits would be likely to call the device in question a vest.
*This is not always the case; sometimes the whole two word phrase is used. This *would allow for the phrase Mae West to be used for vest, but see my objection above regarding use of the word vest to describe the life jacket. I also don't think that Cockney rhyming slang was a great source of military slang. But I could be wrong. I'm sure we have plenty of folks who can correct me.
I don’t think that’s quite accurate, Keiva – I can think of plenty of examples of cockney that work the other way about, such as “apples and pears” for ‘stairs’. Like most argots, the key is to draw a line between the insiders and the outsiders.
I am inclined to think you have hit the nail right on the head, sunny Gym – the original term would have been something quite pompous and officious like inflatable vest for which the substitution of “Mae West” would have been a natural inflation. To put it in context you have only to imagine the class-ridden system of England in that time: if the educated officers introduced new equipment with a fancy name, it would be imperative for the ranks to make it their own by a linguistic twist. But Rhuby is more expert on CRS than I – come on in, Rhuby, the water’s quite buoyant!
Since this thread already has 146 posts(with mine), I invite everyone, free of charge, to move the discussion to Mae West and Buoyancy thread. See you there!
To bring a few threads together on Cockney Rhyming slang. Growing up after WWII I knew that a Mae West was a life jacket, long before I knew who Mae West was, and even longer before I realised why. Life vests are invariably known as Life Jackets in UK so we are unlikely to have made the rhyming connection, though someone else might have. I agree with the bosom theory, though if they were officially known as Life Vests in the forces, then Mav could still be correct.
On "taters in the mould" (reverting to UK spelling, I used a US dictionary looking up the meanings of mold/mould last time), my introduction to that and many other CRS phrases was via my father and grandfather, about 45 years ago. They were both from the East End of London, though not born within the sound of Bow Bells. And "taters in the mould" is listed in my 1969 CRS dictionary and on many Googled sites. Yoda is right that most CRS phrases have a natural rythmic feel though there are other examples of long and awkward phrases (tumble (down the sink)=drink) and of single words (Aris(totle)=bottle). Since the phrases are usually shortened, the original awkwardness doesn't matter that much. But many of the phrases sound contrived to me anyway. (Tumble down the sink, grumble and gruntyes, it's rude,..)
You may be interested in this site: http://www.surflondon.co.uk/HTML/sections.php3?op=viewarticle&artid=211 which has other London slang as well. They (and other sites) mention multilevel CRS in which the original CRS word gets rerhymed. So Arse => Bottle and Glass => Bottle =>Aristotle => Aris => April in Paris => April. I have not heard that one in real life but I have heard Bottle => Aristotle => Aris => Plaster of Paris => Plaster (for drink) and could that be the derivation of Plastered for drunk? There are many CRS phrases which are in common use in UK English, most people are unaware of the origins.
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To put it in context you have only to imagine the class-ridden system of England in that time: if the educated officers introduced new equipment with a fancy name, it would be imperative for the ranks to make it their own by a linguistic twist. But Rhuby is more expert on CRS than I – come on in, Rhuby, the water’s quite buoyant!
