英语词汇the dozens的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

the dozens. The art of hurling invective at one’s enemies is an ancient one (see logomachy), and American slaves probably brought the verbal exchange called the dozens or dirty dozens with them from Africa, basing it on the Tuareg and Galla game of two opponents cursing one another until one man lost his temper and began fighting with his hands instead of his mouth; he was considered the loser. Alive and thriving today among blacks, the game takes its name not from dozen, “12,” but prob- ably from the Americanism bulldoze, which meant “to bullwhip someone,” especially a slave, the insults likened to whiplashes. See bulldozer.

词汇	the dozens
词源	the dozens. The art of hurling invective at one’s enemies is an ancient one (see logomachy), and American slaves probably brought the verbal exchange called the dozens or dirty dozens with them from Africa, basing it on the Tuareg and Galla game of two opponents cursing one another until one man lost his temper and began fighting with his hands instead of his mouth; he was considered the loser. Alive and thriving today among blacks, the game takes its name not from dozen, “12,” but prob- ably from the Americanism bulldoze, which meant “to bullwhip someone,” especially a slave, the insults likened to whiplashes. See bulldozer.
随便看	steadi cam steak steak tartare steal a march on someone steal my thunder steamboat steatopygous steeplechase steerage st elizabeth-s flowers st elmo-s fire stem to stern sten gun stenography stentorian stepin fetchit step on it step on things stepping the mast sterling stet stetson stevedore stevengraph stew