JOHNNY GETS THE RUNS

[Kashgar]

OK, so I was telling fibs re the Chaucer connection but as the word diarrhea derives its root from the Greek term 'to flow through' I still think it more than likely that the expression 'getting the runs', whether it refers to the process itself or the fleetness of foot required when stricken with the malady, has an earlier starting point than say, the 1960's. Even Chamber's dictionary's date of 1910 in Canada/US for the arrival of both 'the runs' and 'the trots' seems suspiciously late to me. Maybe it just took that long for the printed word to catch up with verbal parlance.

[Phoenix]

I was telling fibs re the Chaucer connection

You know, I really don't understand why you did that, Ray. You weren't to know that I wouldn't waste a couple of hours trawling fruitlessly through the muchel of wandrynge by the weye of the Wif Of Beside Bathe. In any case, that lady would appear to have been more interested in one of her other orifices if the fact that she had had five husbands before setting out on the pilgrimage and these lines from the Prologue are seen as evidence...
In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe.
Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,
For she koude of that art the old daunce.

Chambers' dictionary's date of 1910 in Canada/US for the arrival of both 'the runs' and 'the trots' seems suspiciously late to me.

If you have this dictionary, could you please quote the example verbatim in your next post.

[stevezodiac]

I've only just realised it actually says Johnny Get The Runs. You see what you expect to see i suppose.

I seem to have opened a Hornet's nest here (except it was the Wizard). Now if I can relate a joke I made up last year which is slightly connected. If you remember on the last day of the season the Spurs team suffered food poisoning from a dodgy lasagne at a restaurant prior to the match and foul play was suspected - my joke was that militant Russians had sneaked into the rear entrance of the restaurant and sabotaged the meal - yes they were Back Door Trotskys!

Oh, please yourselves.

[Brendan McGuire]

Try looking up 'the trots' here: www.etymonline.com/

[Raven]

Ooh - "The trots "diarrhea" is recorded from 1808 (cf. the runs)."

Whereas "the squits" isn't there at all.

[Lew Stringer]

I've a gut feeling this thread could run and run.

[Raven]

I think we should call it squits right now.

[Digifiend]

I've a gut feeling this thread could run and run.

Nice pun.

[fústar]

"Johnny Get(s) the Runs"

a.k.a.

"How to kill a scatological joke through laborious dissection".

[Phoenix]

"How to kill a scatological joke through laborious dissection".

Except that it wasn't a joke in the first place. Perhaps we should consult your avatar because it looks as if it's just realised it has got the runs for real.

[Kashgar]

Sorry for leading you on a fool's errand Derek with regard to 'The Canterbury Tales'.
The Chamber's Dictionary of Slang that I consulted was in the Central Library in Newcastle and I didn't take down exact details of the reference but from memory it was a book titled 'Letters of the Spanish-American War' which although published in 1910 was relating to correspondence from a conflict that had occured 12 years earlier
still.
Speaking of cricketing phrases of dubious interpretation one the best surely has to be a piece of Brian Johnston radio commentary from thirty years ago during an England v West Indies test match 'The bowler's Holding the batsman's Willie'.

[felneymike]

If only the Viz Profanisaurus had existed back then this could all have been cleared up in a matter of minutes!

[Phoenix]

'The bowler's Holding the batsman's Willie'.

It was Willey (Peter), and I have always believed that it was the result of some advance planning, unlike my gaffe when, admonishing a group of sixth form girls for forgetting some information I had imparted to them the previous week, I told them in no uncertain terms that, in view of their impending A level exams, they had to be like camels and store up all relevant information in their humps. Their laughter was warm and friendly, my embarrassment genuine but acute. My apology was accepted gracefully as is yours, Ray, needless to say.

[Kashgar]

Thanks for correcting my error Derek. I knew it was Peter Willey but somehow 'willie' came out instead. The 1980 home Test series against the West Indies with Peter Willey appearing in all five tests and being dismissed by WI fast bowler Michael Holding on four occasions despite their 'intimacy', whether staged by Brian Johnston or otherwise.

[Phoenix]

somehow 'willie' came out instead

Would I be correct in assuming that this unfortunate error of judgement is somehow connected to the rough shag reminiscence that you shared with us on the General Election thread?