Timeline for Usage of the slang "a man Friday" in English conversation
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
18 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2021 at 10:35 | comment | added | Rae Sauron | And to that point, I don't see how a comedy movie that took the phrase from the source material would change the meaning, when the book is older, if you believe that matters, and the (Man Friday)movie is newer, if you believe that weighs heavier. Unless there is some evidence that this similarly-named comedy was so much bigger and popular than the Crusoe stories as to eclipse them. | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 10:26 | comment | added | Rae Sauron | Why is an add-on question suddenly so important to you because I did not add it as part of my original answer? If that was THE question, then why was it in the last line, and preceded by "and"? This was an afterthought, not the point of the whole question. Either way, I edited that point into my answer an hour before your second post. I'm addressing the point of what the phrase really means, but people get struck deaf when you mention prejudice in connection with long-held icons or beliefs. This is why we "whitewash" things like this phrase, to erase what we don't want to accept of our past | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 10:01 | comment | added | psmears | @nnnnnn: Indeed Google ngrams strongly suggests that the term didn't gain currency in the 1970s (in fact possibly the reverse). | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 9:43 | comment | added | nnnnnn | The original question certainly did ask if the term can be used for a woman, and you didn't cover that. (Neither did the accepted answer.) You said in a comment that the term came into household use in the 70s - what references to you have to support that assertion? It was in use earlier than that - don't forget also the 1940 movie "His Girl Friday" which I think is certainly will known to my (still-living) parents' generation. | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 8:47 | comment | added | 11qq00 | @Rae Sauron : It didn't have the prescriptively correct emphasis/perspective. 8~} +1 from me. especially for "gal Friday", feels better than "woman Friday". You thoroughly addressed OP's questions, accurately it seems. | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 8:47 | comment | added | Rae Sauron | Actually, the original question is; what is the slang usage of the term "a Man Friday" in English conversation. The most upvoted answer defines the phrase by the book Robinson Crusoe, and my answer is redirecting what that book's definition of the term is, and the fullness of the dictionary definitions. The movie is from the 70's, when the expression was brought into household usage, and is a retelling of the book from 1719. You have no issue with the other answers, but feel mine is lacking? Why? I feel I have been very descriptive, and pointed to parts of the book and movie as references | |
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 8:42 | review | First answers | |||
| Sep 7, 2021 at 9:36 | |||||
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 8:42 | history | edited | Rae Sauron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added redirect to OP question at commenter's request
|
| Sep 7, 2021 at 8:11 | comment | added | CommunityBot | Please provide additional details in your answer. As it's currently written, it's hard to understand your solution. | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:53 | comment | added | nnnnnn | Hi. Welcome to the site. I think there are a few problems with your answer. The term "man Friday" was in use before 1975 but nevertheless within the lifetime of people still alive today. Also you have only explained what the term meant in the Robinson Crusoe story, not what it means to people who use it today in an office context as mentioned in the question. And you haven't answered the original question about whether the term "woman Friday" is acceptable. | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:44 | comment | added | Rae Sauron | Even in the original book, which I have since studied up on, Crusoe named himself "Master" when teaching Friday English, and though Crusoe could have accepted him as a friend, he was always a servant. The book is not as stark in showing Crusoe as quick to kill out of misunderstanding, and he does not take Friday by force, but there is still a huge power differential that is firmly set in place and maintained by Crusoe. Even near the end of the book, Crusoe thinks of him "I began really to love the creature", not "the man". Crusoe was also slaver for a time before being castaway on the island | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:21 | comment | added | KillingTime | Given the number of modern TV and movie adaptations of the Robinson Crusoe story, what makes you believe that this one version is that influential? | |
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:17 | review | Late answers | |||
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:22 | |||||
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:10 | history | edited | Rae Sauron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 271 characters in body
|
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 7:04 | review | First answers | |||
| Sep 7, 2021 at 8:11 | |||||
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 7:04 | history | edited | Rae Sauron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 271 characters in body
|
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 6:58 | review | First answers | |||
| Sep 7, 2021 at 7:01 | |||||
| S Sep 7, 2021 at 6:58 | history | answered | Rae Sauron | CC BY-SA 4.0 |