The informal adjective
nuts dates to the early 1900s but
developed from an earlier 17th-century slang meaning often found in
phrases like "nuts to me" and "nuts for me," where it referred to a
source of delight, as in this quote from English satirist Jonathan
Swift's
A Journal to Stella (1766): "Why, we had not one word
of quarrel; only he railed at me when I was gone: and Lord Keeper and
Treasurer teased me for a week. It was nuts to them; a serious thing
with a vengeance." The use likely had something to do with the taste of
the dry fruit
or seed since early figurative examples of the noun
include the expression "nuts and cheese." Adjectival use, typically
describing enthusiasm about or fondness for someone or something came
about in the late 18th century. In Britain, the term was often used in
the phrase "dead nuts on," as "She is dead nuts on the boy next door."
The notion that enthusiasm and infatuation often lead to obsession may
have played a role in the early 20th-century senses of
nuts denoting extreme devotion, as in "nuts about baseball," and functioning as a synonym of "insane."
Who are the opponents? Liberal hypocrisy at it's finest. 170 College St. Introduction: As most of you know, a boat load of peo...
I have requested that you remove the post, Through the Looking Glass an Alternative View of Wednesday's P/Z Meeting , as it contain...
Mayor Drew losses his cool at PRC meeting Tonight, at the Personnel Review Committee (PRC) meeting Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski requ...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Authors of comments and posts are solely responsible for their statements. Please email MiddletownInsider@gmail.com for questions or concerns. This blog, (and any site using the blogger platform), does not and cannot track the source of comments. While opinions and criticism are fine, they are subject to moderator discretion; slander and vile attacks of individuals will not to be tolerated. Middletown Insider retains the right to deny any post or comment without explanation.