Re: Fruitcakes Re: Fruitcakes was Re: Kentum/satem

>From: "Karapcik, Mike" <KarapcM@...>
>Reply-To: Constructed Languages List <CONLANG@...>
>To: CONLANG@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
>Subject: Re: Fruitcakes Re: Fruitcakes was Re: Kentum/satem
>Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 23:32:38 -0400
>
>| -----Original Message-----
>| From: Peter Clark
>| Subject: [OT] Re: Fruitcakes was Re: Kentum/satem
>|
>| On Tuesday 30 April 2002 21:01, Jake X wrote:
>| > Um... I'm sorry... but being gay I am sensitive
>| > about these things. If you're gonna use some
>| > term to dismiss someone is wacko (and
>| > in this case I agree), try not to
>| > use words that offend "x" minority
>|
>|   I don't know on what part of the globe you are,
>| but here (Minnesota), "fruitcake" definitely refers
>| to one's mental stability (or lack thereof) and
>| has nothing to do with one's sexual orientation.
>|        :Peter
>
>    Ok, I'm curious as to the region in which the meaning changes.
>    I live in Florida (the peninsula in the souteast corner, for those not
>in
>the US). Since over half of the population here is transient (about half
>the
>population of Florida lives here less than six years) we have a blend of
>accents and slang from all over the country.
>    (The Florida Cracker accent is almost gone, which I think is a shame.
>It's very different from a Southern accent, and I think much nicer.)
>    When I was growing up, "fruitcake" ment a wacko (full of nuts and
>colorful mystery bits), and "fruity" or "fruit" was a rather obscure term
>for a gay man.
>    I know Anita Bryant (*iiickyyyy*, just typing that makes me want to
>bleach my keyboard) was very fond of the words "fruity" and "fruit", and I
>think she was the first I heard use "fruitcake" to refer to a gay man.
>    In the past 15 years or so, I've noticed that most people have one
>meaning or the other. I've heard it often used for "gay" with people from
>Miami, the city Anita cursed with her presence, but in Tampa / St. Pete,
>Orlando, and St. Augustine, that useage is only with some people from other
>states. I haven't pinned down which useage comes from where, though.
Yeah, my guess is your right about the deriveation (i.e. "fruit"), but maybe
fruitcake=loony evolved seperately.

Jake

~Patient is the procrastinator.~



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