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Path: utzoo!linus!wivax!decvax!genrad!grkermit!mit-vax!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxi!mhuxa!houxm!ihnp4!cbosgd!mark
From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: valspeak info wanted ("totally tubular")
Message-ID: <130@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Jul-83 15:42:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.130
Posted: Wed Jul 20 15:42:59 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jul-83 02:56:57 EDT
References: <406@mit-eddie.UUCP>, <384@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Columbus
Lines: 18

In order to straighten this controversy out once and for all,
at great personal expense, I personally travelled to the valley
and interviewed noted ValSpeak expert and San Fernando Valley
resident Howard Weinstein.  (Well, actually, I had this wedding
to go to in Long Beach and Howard was also there.)  He explained
"totally tubular" in plain English.

The phrase "totally tubular" is an expression, and is nearly
synonymous with "peachy keen".  It would be used to describe
an occurrance, not a person or thing.  It derives from the
shape of a good surfing wave - such a wave will have a ridge
which comes up, then forward, then it breaks downward, leaving
a tube shaped area of air under the wave but above the main
body of water.  (Watch the intro to "Wide World of Sports"
sometime if you have trouble visualizing this.)  The perfect
wave would be "totally tubular".  Another possibility is
"partially tubular".  One never just says "tubular" by itself
in ValSpeak.