[ExI] buttload

spike spike66 at att.net
Wed May 4 20:58:39 UTC 2011


>... On Behalf Of Damien Broderick
Subject: Re: [ExI] buttload

On 5/4/2011 12:42 PM, spike wrote:

>> It's a polite way of saying the more common term "shitload of money."

>That's what I suspected. So isn't this a strangely hostile way to speak of
large quantities of money? If someone is called a shithead, it's not a term
of praise, or a suggestion that his head is really very ample and
well-stocked...Damien Broderick


Well that's one way of looking at it, consider this too: it may be a
derivative of the still more polite term "boatload of money."  On the other
hand, often money is treated with a certain contempt if one is in dire need
and the buttload of money belongs to someone else.  Consider the sentence:
"Dr. Goldstein put a buttload of money into the market just before the
crash, but no matter, for he has money coming out the wazoo anyway."

Etymologists may be debating it for some time to come.  Since we are on the
subject of curious Americanisms, do consider the puzzling term "fuck-all"
meaning nothing.  Logically then, the term "fuck-nothing" would mean
everything?  Seems backwards to me, but submit the question to a
literary-minded Australian: do explain please Dr. Broderick.

spike







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