Ummm, it looks like I owe you *'Murcans* an apology. To those of you not
resembling a small piece of fur and/or not married to a lesbian, I
sincerely apologise.
Cheers,
Paul :-)
> Colin Cobb wrote:
> >
> > Hey Paul,
> >
> > During your very kind offer to sell hub caps to us 'Murcans you wrote:
> >
> > >> To save you Merkins some $$ and effort, is it possible to have one
> > person there collect up the orders, raise one check in Australian
> > Dollars, and send over a list of names and addresses of recipients? <<
> >
> > 20 years ago my lovely bride (then of 13 years) reduced an audience of
> > Scots at a party to slack-jawed incomprehension (perhaps even horror) by
> > referring to a man's "fanny." To the Scots that was clearly a
> > contradiction in terms at best...
> >
> > I can't help wonder if "merkin" means the same thing Down Under as it
> > means here?
> >
> > Originally the word simply meant "a small mop" (especially one used to
> > swab out cannons). From that came the most common meaning in the States,
> > "a small wiglet worn by a woman (especially a stripper) to disguise the
> > fact that her "Mappa Tassie," as you might say, had been shaved. I think
> > this meaning has been pretty well lost due to... well, I don't think
> > they still try to disguise the fact that it is shaven. Some years back
> > this was not a slang, but a dictionary, definition.
> >
> > The current meaning is reduced to slang: "A heterosexual man married to
> > a lesbian to provide her with a disguise of normalcy, usually to protect
> > her profession."
> >
> > Ain't language grand?
> >
> > Cheers!
> >
> > --Colin Cobb, Las Cruces, NM, USA
> > '65 Tiger, '66 Morgan, '67 Alpine SV
>
> --
Paul Heuer wrote:
>
> Ahem,
> It's not a term I'm familiar with Colin. Thank you kindly for
> illuminating this inconspicuous but important idiosyncrasy of the North
> American tongue. (How am I doing so far?)
>
> I apologise sincerely to your good lady wife for the insinuation about
> her sexuality, and to you for the insinuation about your state of
> marital bliss.
>
> I am heartened to know that at least one little Australianism, that of
> the 'Map of Tassie', has found its way to your shores.
>
> I hereby promise to write out one hundred times, 'Murcan, 'Murcan,
> 'Murcan...
>
> As slack-jawed as a party of Scotsmen being told to get off their
> fannies, I am your faithful servant in the study of this language we
> mistaken call English.
>
> Paul Heuer.
>
--
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