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The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) hasīUCK NAKED - adjective. Brians mentions) suggest that "buck" was originally a euphemism or other alteration of "butt". Half century ago in the rural southeast US the expression was "butt naked" (only we said something closer to "butt necked") and it just ment naked.Īnd several fairly authoritative dictionaries (in addition to the Cassell's reference that Prof. I recall hearing it as a child, as does someone posting on the bulletin board: However, I'm fairly confident that "butt naked" is more than ten years old. I'm not challenging his claim, just observing that others disagree, and determinative evidence seems to be lacking. Brians might well be right that "buck naked" is the original phrase. I certainly don't have any 19th-century citations for "butt naked", and I agree that Prof. Though it has a different origin, I associate this also with the common "nip it in the butt." Lightly clad blacks and Indians were commonly called "bucks" in the 19th century. The Cassell Dictionary of Slang lists "buck naked" as early 19th Century and speculates, as did one of your sources, on "buck" as a variation on "butt" but until someone comes up with an actual early citation, I'll stand by my etymology as more likely. In 37 years of reading student writing and popular journalism, it's only recently that I've encountered the "butt" variation. On your very interesting Web site you challenge my claim that "buck naked" is older than "butt naked." I'd be interested to see evidence of any use earlier than my first encounter with the latter, less than ten years ago. I referenced that discussion in my post today on Hobbesian choice, and Prof. Scholars disagree about which was the original expression, and current usage is roughly split as well.
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buck naked issue, and concluded that it's a draw. Butt to buck, start to stark, or vice versa?īack in August, I looked into the butt naked vs.