2016年11月18日金曜日

Absolutely's "generosity"

Maki's "absobloominglutely" fabulous observation on the language in Eliza prompted me to look up the expression in OED:

The word appears as "colloquial interjection," and the dictionary defines as follows:

2. With an expletive infixed for humorous emphasis, as abso-blessed-lutelyabso-bloody-lutelyabso-blooming-lutely, etc.

There are various ways of putting it.
Looking through the following citations, I understand "etc" serves as a kind of mask:

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1909   R. E. Beach Silver Horde xi. 147   ‘Did you rustle this money without any help?’ he                demanded. ‘Abso-blooming-lutely!’
1912   A. M. N. Lyons Clara xxiv. 265   His Information was abso-blessed-lutely good and all            the very latest; right Up-to-Date
1914   W. L. George Making of Englishman iii. v. 299   Oh, don'tcher care, it's all                              over, absoballylutely.
1935   E. Weekley Something about Words i. 24   This natural tendency to add body and                 content to words is possibly prehistoric... A crude example of this persisting instinct is            offered by the contemporary abso-bloody-lutely.
1947   Amer. Mercury Feb. 183/1   An Englishman who wishes to be very positive will                      exclaim, ‘Abso-bloody-lutely!’
1985   D. Bodey F.N.G. 224   ‘Like, don't it seem like the time has gone fast now?’ ‘Abso-                fuckin'-lutely.’
1993   Homemaker's Mag. (Toronto) Jan.–Feb. 102/1   Can a pot of tulips, daffodils or                      hyacinths help banish February funk? Abso-bloomin'-lutely.
2001   F. North Fen xlv. 302   ‘We should celebrate,’ Otter said... ‘Abso-bloody-lutely,’ Matt                agreed.
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An entry of 1985 turns out to be the one that the OED refers to as "etc."
What a pity that only 1985 entry was omitted by "etc," which kind of makes sense though.

As it implies, The OED seems to have had some controversial relationship with the F-word entry. I speculate that the issue was whether it is appropriate for the prestigious dictionary to include such nasty kind of words. It needs more research into the foundational moment behind the making of the OED.

Anyhow, "absolutely" is absolutely generous to allow such F-word intrusion into his/her territory!

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