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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009Usage of 'suck'
I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something sucks', 'someone is a sucker'. I believe the first one is slang for fellatio. Do the other forms also have vulgar connotations? > I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American > slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something > sucks', 'someone is a sucker'. I believe the first one is slang > for fellatio. Do the other forms also have vulgar connotations? If by 'vulgar' you mean 'sexual,' the answer is no.  Signature"I tried being reasonable. I didn't like it." - Clint Eastwood >> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > If by 'vulgar' you mean 'sexual,' the answer is no. Yes, I meant 'sexual'. Thanks. >> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something >> sucks', 'someone is a sucker'. I believe the first one is slang >> for fellatio. Do the other forms also have vulgar connotations? > >If by 'vulgar' you mean 'sexual,' the answer is no. Don't be so certain. I recall from my school days more than half a century ago that if someone disapproved of action he might say, "That sucks dick"; the "dick" soon disappeared in more polite company, but most of the kids knew what was meant. Sometimes a erm with sexual connotations will evolve to a non-sexual meaning. For instance, "screw" used to be synonym for sexual intercourse, perhaps a bit politer than "f.ck". A comment likde "He really screwed up that project" was a sort of euphemism for "He really f.cked up that project", but somehow "screw" became drained of it's connection to "f.ck" in many contexts. Today I hear "screw" as in "screw up" or "screw it" on commercial American television. "Screw" retains a sexual double entendre aspect in, for instance, the drink named "Slow Screw on the Beach". Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * > Sometimes a erm with sexual connotations will evolve to a > non-sexual meaning. For instance, "screw" used to be synonym for > sexual intercourse, perhaps a bit politer than "f.ck". I think you've got that one backwards. Webster's editions at least from 1830 to 1913 list: To screw up, to force; to bring by violent pressure. It became a polite *substitute* for "f.ck" along with "foul," "louse," "mess," etc., but the phrase already had a literal meaning that was a way of damaging something, having nothing to do with sex. ¬R >>> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >>> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > "That sucks dick"; the "dick" soon disappeared in more polite > company, but most of the kids knew what was meant. If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original version? From a male point of view, it should be approving, not disapproving. :) SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. >>>> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >>>> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >version? From a male point of view, it should be approving, not >disapproving. :) For the same reason that "f.ck" is used as an expletive. Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * >>>>> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >>>>> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > For the same reason that "f.ck" is used as an expletive. Maybe so. But thinking of it, it seems it is not the "same" reason, but rather the symmetrical one. After all, saying "this f.cks" has the distinct overtones of "this rocks", that is, praise. While "you suck" sounds like the exact complement to "f.ck you" - same concept, expressed in active and passive aspects. Sounds plausible, no? SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. > If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving > "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original It implied homosexuality and therefore weakness. ¬R >> If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving >> "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original? > > It implied homosexuality and therefore weakness. That makes sense. Thanks. SignatureYou'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone. >> If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving >> "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original > >It implied homosexuality and therefore weakness. When I, in Britain, first heard the phrase I tentatively assumed that it derived from "sucks the life out of". SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) >>> If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving >>> "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it > derived from "sucks the life out of". And I was surprised to hear, on a'70s family-approved TV show, the expression "They were sucking face (kissing)", spoken by a younger brother of the girl involved. After that, I began to hear "This sucks" in many situations. SignaturePat Durkin durkinpa at msn.com Wisconsin > >> If this phrase was the origin of the contemporary disapproving > >> "this sucks", why was it considered disapproving in the original [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > When I, in Britain, first heard the phrase I tentatively assumed that it > derived from "sucks the life out of". Although aware of the possibility of an obscene origin, I always thought it had to do with the dismissive "go suck an egg". SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEWlamps for OLDlamps for email > I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American > slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something > sucks', 'someone is a sucker'. I believe the first one is slang > for fellatio. Do the other forms also have vulgar connotations? I don't believe so. >> I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >> slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > I don't believe so. Thanks. >I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American >slang, as in 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something >sucks', 'someone is a sucker'. I believe the first one is slang >for fellatio. Do the other forms also have vulgar connotations? "Suck up to" did in the mid-1800s, according to American Heritage. I would guess some taint of vulgarity lasted until sometime after WWII. "Sucks" did as recently as the mid-1970s. By 1980, third-graders were using "sucks," "blows," and "bites" without any idea what they referred to or that they were ever considered vulgar. I don't think "sucker" ever did. I always figured it probably referred to the fish, maybe because it was easily hooked. ¬R http://users.bestweb.net/~notr/bluemoon.html "Nothing says 'Thursday' quite like Ira Fusfeld." > I'm familiar with various forms of the word suck in American slang, as in > 'suck someone', 'suck up to someone', 'something sucks', 'someone is a > sucker'. I believe the first one is slang for fellatio. Do the other forms > also have vulgar connotations? Suck was the ultimate vulgarism before Beavis & Butthead.That show robbed it of its shock value. That is a shame too, all languages need vulgarisms and they are so few that removing one lessens the language. |
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