[PW] Plut and Shazbat!

Wed Apr 30 12:10:10 PDT 2008

A grad student I knew preferred "Rowrbazzle!" (from Pogo), which also
has a ring to it. 

Charles Early                              
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-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-open-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-open-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On Behalf
Of Hadden, Robert L ERDC-TEC-VA
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 4:27 PM
To: list at project-wombat.org
Subject: Re: [PW] Plut and Shazbat!

	When I moved to Washington DC, my wife became amazed at the
reach, eloquence and vocabulary I had in swearing at DC commuter traffic
and obnoxious aggressive drivers (i.e., those drivers other than me).
After a while, she recommended that I start using an euphemism instead
of some of the rather powerful swear words that came out of my mouth,
event those from foreign languages. So I selected the word, "Shazbat!"
to use instead.
	This word came from the planet Ork in the old Mork and Mindy TV
show.
As an extra-planetary word, you cannot really describe it as a swear
word since no one on earth knows the real meaning (and Robin Williams
never told).
	I suspect "Plut" is in the same category. A nice "in-word" that
can be used as a swear word within a defined social group, and one with
no come-backs from outsiders or parents. Like Humpty-Dumpty, it is a
word that means what I want it to mean, when I want it to mean what I
want it to mean.
Clear as a pile of plut!
	Shazbat! I had the answer, but it slipped away! Plut on it! And
y'all are just a bunch of ole plut heads!
	(Actually, it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?)

Lee

R. Lee Hadden
Geospatial Information Library (GIL)
Topographic Engineering Center
ATTN: CEERD-TO-I (Hadden)
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
(703) 428-9206
Robert.L.Hadden at usace.army.mil

See some of my writings, both online and on paper, at my author page at:
http://www.librarything.com/author/haddenrobertlee

*****

Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:13:17 -0600
From: "T. F. Mills" <phasco at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [PW] Plut
To: list at project-wombat.org
Message-ID: <4815F79D.26156.1515FDAE at phasco.earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

On 28 Apr 2008 at 11:47, Karen Lofstrom wrote:

> As to "plut" -- could this be a variation on "blut"? Blood? I can 
> imagine a Pennsylvania Deutsch farmer saying "Plut" in an angry voice.

... pronounced "bloot" or "ploot".  You could be on to something there.

"God's blood!" was a favorite exclamation in late 17th century England
and America, as was "Zounds!", a contraction of "God's wounds."  This
may have carried over longer in other cultures such as Penn Dutch, but I
have no sources handy to document it.

T.F. Mills                            (Colorado, USA)
temporary email:         phasco at earthlink.net
(pending resurrection of regiments.org mail)

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