Comments on: (Bi)Monthly Etymology Gleanings for July-August 2012 http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/bimonthly-etymology-gleanings-for-july-august-2012/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Mon, 20 May 2013 14:53:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/bimonthly-etymology-gleanings-for-july-august-2012/#comment-291856 Fabio (Vinos Ambiz) Fri, 07 Sep 2012 13:52:18 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=28245#comment-291856 Natural and organic once more. Thanks for addressing this issue, which is of particular interest to me, as I'm a "natural" wine producer! As you say, I'm interested in the 'legitimacy' of the term 'natural wine' because I'm involved in an on-going, very wine-geeky, on-line debate about this term. I'm now convinced that the term is as 'legitimate' as you can get, as far as the meanings of words in English are concerned - due to its long history of usage (from 1907), its mention in respected dictionaries, and above all its universal current usage in the wine-world sub-culture! Interestingly, I just looked up 'natural gas' in Wikipedia and I can see at a glance that the amount of processing that said gas is subjected to (between its natural state in the reservoir and when it's in its final state ready for use) is much much more intense that that "natural wine" is subjected to!!! Though the term 'natural wine' raises many more hackles and controversies than the term 'natural gas'! Natural and organic once more. Thanks for addressing this issue, which is of particular interest to me, as I’m a “natural” wine producer! As you say, I’m interested in the ‘legitimacy’ of the term ‘natural wine’ because I’m involved in an on-going, very wine-geeky, on-line debate about this term.

I’m now convinced that the term is as ‘legitimate’ as you can get, as far as the meanings of words in English are concerned – due to its long history of usage (from 1907), its mention in respected dictionaries, and above all its universal current usage in the wine-world sub-culture!

Interestingly, I just looked up ‘natural gas’ in Wikipedia and I can see at a glance that the amount of processing that said gas is subjected to (between its natural state in the reservoir and when it’s in its final state ready for use) is much much more intense that that “natural wine” is subjected to!!! Though the term ‘natural wine’ raises many more hackles and controversies than the term ‘natural gas’!

]]> By: Stephen Goranson http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/bimonthly-etymology-gleanings-for-july-august-2012/#comment-290165 Stephen Goranson Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:12:36 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=28245#comment-290165 I agree that "on the Fritz" is most likely an Americanism. If I may venture further with one hypothesis, despite warnings of nonsense of no interest, the earliest (available) attestations are from 1901 in New York. Though we now use the phrase of malfunctioning machines, early on it apparently applied to persons. E.g. here is the specter of Santa Clause being out of work in 1902: "Would Santa Claus be on the 'fritz' / If we never had snow?'' In 1901 in Puck magazine (from New York) a "shirtwaist girl" had an expensive party "that put 'em all on the Fritz," lacking money. (Note the capital F.) Other early accounts involve, e.g., out of work New York actors. There was, upon that time and place, a saloon owner and politician in Manhattan, namesake of the Fritz Lindinger Club, who was known, when campaigning, to give out free drinks and food. Maybe, possibly, it might could be that those in need of a handout were "on the Fritz." For a picture of Fritz and mention of his campaign Club: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1901-12-31/ed-1/seq-4/;words=Lindinger+FRITZ+Fritz+LIN'DINGER?date1=1901&rows=20&searchType=advanced&proxdistance=5&date2=1901&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=fritz+lindinger&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=2 I agree that “on the Fritz” is most likely an Americanism. If I may venture further with one hypothesis, despite warnings of nonsense of no interest, the earliest (available) attestations are from 1901 in New York. Though we now use the phrase of malfunctioning machines, early on it apparently applied to persons. E.g. here is the specter of Santa Clause being out of work in 1902: “Would Santa Claus be on the ‘fritz’ / If we never had snow?” In 1901 in Puck magazine (from New York) a “shirtwaist girl” had an expensive party “that put ‘em all on the Fritz,” lacking money. (Note the capital F.) Other early accounts involve, e.g., out of work New York actors. There was, upon that time and place, a saloon owner and politician in Manhattan, namesake of the Fritz Lindinger Club, who was known, when campaigning, to give out free drinks and food. Maybe, possibly, it might could be that those in need of a handout were “on the Fritz.” For a picture of Fritz and mention of his campaign Club:

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1901-12-31/ed-1/seq-4/;words=Lindinger+FRITZ+Fritz+LIN'DINGER?date1=1901&rows=20&searchType=advanced&proxdistance=5&date2=1901&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=fritz+lindinger&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=2

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