The word of the day and of the day before this one and of the day before that one and of the one before that is dang. Since Monday, Elaine and I have been saying dang. Just for fun. It is the week of the dang. (We make our own fun.)
I consulted the Oxford English Dictionary, hoping for a history of the word rich and strange. But no. The verb steps on stage in the 1790s: “A euphemistic substitute for DAMN.” The noun follows in 1906: "A damn, cuss." A few sample sentences, and that’s it.
Dang.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Dang
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
comments: 4
That's dang stingy of the OED if you ask me.
Dang lexiwhadjimacallems.
I've been partial for some time to "yikes!" which always had a medieval sound to my ears (zounds!), or at least echoes of Krazy Kat. But I looked it up some time ago and it turns out that it only dates from 1971. Even "yipes" is only 20 years older. Why are English teachers looking up their curse words?
“Why are English teachers looking up their curse words?” Dang if I know.
I like "yikes” a bunch — it’s in several posts. I’m amazed how recent it is, which must mean that I went through childhood without it.
Post a Comment