[TAG] rhubarb

[Ben Okopnik]

On Mon, Mar 22, 2004 at 07:37:11PM -0800, Rick Moen wrote:
> 
> Byers: "Jimmy... We've been talking. We're not sure this is the right
> place for you."
> 
> Jimmy: "What, are you kidding? Working with guys like you, it's a
> dream."
> 
> Byers: "Jimmy..."
> 
> Jimmy: "I've been looking my whole life for something like this. To feel
> like I make a difference, to work with men of integrity, to fight to
> make this a better country. You three, you're heroes. I am so proud to
> be a part of this team. Just talking about it... look at that,
> goosebumps."
> 
> Frohike: "You are so fired."
> 
> 
> 
> I'm finding that the expression is difficult to chase down, but I'm
> better that it goes way back.  One source speculates that "so" as a
> superlative is "a great-grandchild of Valley speak", but I suspect
> that's off by a decade or two.
 
Now that you've got me thinking about it, it's a _very_ Yiddishe sort of
emphasis; in fact, although my Yiddish is marginal, I can definitely
identify the (very common) construction it came from. Attempts to
translate it into English ("_so_ fired", "_such_ a deal", etc.) do
capture a bit (but far from all) of the flavor. Add an eye-roll at the
appropriate moment, and it's Mel Brooks and Jackie Mason all the way.

> Time to call in the Lexicographic Irregulars!

[perk] We have troops for this?


* Ben Okopnik * okopnik.freeshell.org * Technical Editor, Linux Gazette *
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