Today's slang may look like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill word, but you might be surprised! In this case, it appears as an adjective. I'll give you the tick of a clock to think about it. (Hint: consider the properties of a wearable jacket of the routine variety.)
>
>
>
>
>
Okay! Here we go! I confess this was a strange one to me, but this is what Americanisms, Old and New has to say:
Seems to me that Americanisms provides a jacket definition of the term! ;-)
Jacket—"He proceeded home by a jacket way," is a peculiar usage and essentially American, the meaning being that the road is round-about. It is difficult to imagine what connection there is in this case between the word and the idea conveyed by it, except it be that a jacket surrounds or goes about the body, the transition being then little more than a hop, step, and a jump.
... Speaking of taking to the road, I am on my way to Reno, Nevada, for the annual Left Coast Crime convention! I'll be in a couple of panels and also reading from A Dying Note. Here's where you can find me and when:
- Thursday, 9 a.m. - Speed Dating with buddy Janet Finsilver — Nugget 1
- Friday, 3:20 p.m. – Reading from A Dying Note (6th book in the Silver Rush Series, which should be available at LCC!) … Attendees will receive chocolate and my undying gratitude for showing up! — Cascade 3-5
- Saturday, 1:30 p.m. - Moderating “I’ve Got the World on a String: Setting as Character” with panelists John Billheimer, Baron R. Birtcher, Christine Carbo, and Robert D. Kidera — Sierra 4
- Sunday, 9 a.m. – Panelist on “You Are My Sunshine: The Great Outdoors” moderated by Pamela Beason and with authors Judy Copek, Margaret Mizushima, and Mark Stevens — Sierra 2
 |
| And a-wandering he goes, in a jacket and by a jacket way. (Der Wanderer im Schwarzwald by Hans Thoma, 1891) |
Posts
3 comments:
Wish we could access records of the dictionary. Just mentioned Emily Arsenault's The Broken Teaglass, which introduced me to lexicography in a much more fun way than Boswell.
Hi Liz!
Trying to catch up from being away...
Oooooh! I've heard of Emily Arsenault. Sounds like I should check out The Broken Teaglass. :-)
By "records of the dictionary," do you mean (for instance) being able to access Webster's 1828, 1847,1867 etc.?
The Online Etymology Dictionary is a lot of fun: https://www.etymonline.com/
Broken Teaglass starts with a new college graduate collating information on word usage for inclusion in a new edition of a dictionary. I assume the book sets out the precomputer process and would love to rummage through those old file cabinets.
Post a Comment