September 09, 2003
DECODING BOOMHAEUR
A NASCAR brawl yields a rare media deployment of the word “dadgum”:
Sitting in his car, Rudd said he still didn't know there was a confrontation starting until he saw Harvick's crew members "walking up and down my car like it's a dadgum runway or something, jumping up and down."
Kinda funny how the Washington Post replaced every dropped g in that sentence. Damn language-imperialist Yankees!
Posted by Tim Blair at September 9, 2003 03:38 AMPerhaps I'm missing something, but this post has me befuddled.
"replaced every dropped 'g'..." huh?
Where is "dadgum" pronounced without the "g"?
"Dad'um". Nope, never heard it.
I've never heard it pronounced that way, and I was raised by people who used the word (with the "g" sound.)
At first I thought this was an Aussie thing, but that wouldn't make sense in context.
The only thing I can figure is:
(A) Perhaps in the U.S. South, the word is pronounced without the "g", and:
(B) Somehow this has mistaken my notice, yet
(C) Somehow Tim Blair, an Australian, knows this, and
(D) Blair is using "Yankee" correctly to mean an American of the Northern U.S. (rather than as a generic term for all Americans).
If A, B, C, and D are correct, congrats, Tim, for knowing more about Southern U.S. American speech than an American.
Posted by: Mike Smith at September 9, 2003 at 07:01 AMTim, this is a great example of why NASCAR is often compared to WWF wrestling. All they lack at NASCAR is scantily clad women parading up and down pit row. Besides most people know race cars should not have metal covering the wheels right?
Posted by: Full Auto at September 9, 2003 at 07:10 AMMaybe he meant this portion Mike:
"walkin' up and down my car like it's a dadgum runway or somethin', jumpin' up and down."
Now with the right voice inflection that sounds about NASCAR southern. You can bet anyone that says "dadgum" is going to have an interesting accent.
I find it much more amusing that he referred to the Washington Post staff as Yankees. New York or Boston maybe, but the DC/MD/VA area?
uh, Mike: walkin', jumpin', somethin'...nice theory, though
Posted by: bd at September 9, 2003 at 07:13 AMAhh. Of course, Tim meant "walkin'", "runnin'", etc. Now I get the joke. I was being slow.
Good. I'm glad nobody anywhere says "dad'um". That would be just plain wrong.
Posted by: Mike Smith at September 9, 2003 at 07:22 AMI reckon it must have purt near kilt them big city editors to allow that ignorant spew inta their hoity-toity newspaper.
Posted by: Matt at September 9, 2003 at 08:16 AMIt's only rare if you don't watch US college football. Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden uses the word "dadgum" about every other dadgum sentence.
And speaking as a Richmonder, Lilly, the DC/MD/Northern VA area is decidedly Yankee. The Virginia Welcome Center rest area is in Fredericksburg, ~1 hour south of DC, for a reason. (Note to international readers: a "rest area" is a state-run pulloff from an interstate (motorway) with bathrooms and vending machines; a state welcome center version of one of those is normally located a mile or so from the border, and has free maps and a bunch of worthless tourism flyers in the main hall.)
Posted by: Josh Crockett at September 9, 2003 at 08:19 AMG'day you gumby roo lovers. This Yankee would like to buy you a liquid-gold. You guys are bonza.
Stock car racing fans are bonza too. When they get blotto, they like to pash ugly old-girls!
You chicks are cool-bananas too!
Anyway, have a nice day 'n' i'll yarn to you again soon.
Posted by: ....a moment with Easycure at September 9, 2003 at 09:56 AMahhh. so you think it's cool to make fun of my kinfolk? read "redneck manifesto" by jim goad to confront your inbuilt prejudices about poor whites.
Posted by: roscoe p coltrane at September 13, 2003 at 06:45 PM