When I feel like being polite, which is usually, I prefer derriere. Even though it's a French word, most Americans know it. Except teens sometimes, in which case I explain.
Veronica Caley Milford, MI----- Original Message ----- From: "David Ritchie" <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8:45 AM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Not a DonkeySomeone sent me one of those things that people send around the internet, a captioned photo of a cute animal. In this instance the subject was a "cute ass." This caused me look up whether British "arse" became U.S. "ass," or if it happened the other way around. Answer: arse is a very old term. The OED says it is "now obsolete in polite use." I wonder when it became so. Swift is quite happy with the term in the eighteenth century, but then again "bum," also "not in polite use," has a lively eighteenth century history. Scholars more patient than I will have to look at when "posterior" or "nether regions" became the polite alternative in Britain. I suspect the Victorians. "Ass" is a "vulgar and dialect special pronunciation of arse," "now chiefly U.S." The earliest citation in the OED is nineteenth century. Many new meanings were added in the twentieth century. It's a comparatively new term.
Carry on. David Ritchie, up betimes inPortland, Oregon------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
