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From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (Gordon A. Moffett)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: a horny dilemma
Message-ID: <437@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Oct-84 01:59:42 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.437
Posted: Tue Oct 30 01:59:42 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Nov-84 01:45:51 EST
References: <19@mot.UUCP>
Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 27

> All right, you amateur etymologists.  Why the slang "horny" meaning
> "sexually excited" or "sexually excitable"? Has it got anything to
> do with the ancient and widespread "horned" meaning "cuckolded"?
> And where did that come from? Any good stories for these?
> 
>                      Alan Filipski
>             {allegra | ihnp4 } ! sftig ! mot ! al

Stewart Berg Flexner says "horny" previously meant "angry"
as of 1834, but by 1899 its meaning as "sexually excited"
completely replaced the older usage.

He also notes that "hot" also meant angry as of 1846,
but by the 1920s also meant sexually excited.  He says
"this seems to imply a subconsciou relation between sexual
passion and anger."  I don't agree with this; sexual excitement
does literally make one hot.  Or warmer, anyway.

I recall reading about the origin of "horny" in one of William Safire's
columns but it is not in any of his latest books on language.
-- 
"That's ``Capitalist Lackeys of the Imperialist Dogs Cookbook Offer,
Box 9, Hellmouth CA  92240''..."

Gordon A. Moffett		...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,nsc}!amdahl!gam

[ This is just me talking. ]