Re: OT: phat/vet/fat

On Sat, 2002-07-13 at 22:59, daniel andreasson wrote:
> Roger Mills wrote:
>
> > Mike Karapcik and Steg Belsky both came up with--
> > >        Ebonics/urban slang is not my strong suit, but
> > > from what I know, phat is an acronym for "Pretty Hot
> > > And Tempting".
>
> > I'm somehow inclined to accept that.  Even as I wrote
> > suggesting a connection with "emphatic" I was thinking,
> > that's a rather high-flown word to be the source...:-)
>
> Why can't it simply be from "fat", just with a phatter
> spelling? I mean, you can (or rather 'could' :) say "grand"
> in pretty much the same way. The explanation "Pretty Hot
> And Tempting" seems to me to be a back-formation. Something
> like "bitch", which is "Babe In Total Control of Herself".
You can't say 'grand' in 'pretty much the same way [as you can spell
"phat"]'. That makes no sense at all.

I assumed, the first time I heard the word I assumed it was some
sarcastic (or perhaps ironic) modification of the word 'fat'.

Incidentally, I think the only times I've ever heard the word (except
perhaps from on the telly, although I can't remember it if so), it's
been used in stereotypings. So perhaps Australia isn't completely
Americanised just yet. Here's hoping we can delay the invasion for
another decade! :) (Of course, it may be that I just don't live in the
right circles. Which is so entirely probable that it's not funny.)

EvenLessObNatlang: why does one say 'here's hoping'?

Tristan.

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