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Re: off topic... what's the meaning of this expression?
Subject:Re: off topic... what's the meaning of this expression? From:DIGEST Marlene Reynolds <reynoldm -at- AGCS -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 1 May 1995 13:34:49 -0700
Kelly Kremin asked:
the vapors
What does it mean? My boss insists it means a swooning spell. I was
certain I'd learned that the vapors was flatulence.
Kelly,
I think your boss is correct. (At least, that's how I've always understood it.)
I can honestly say that I have never heard it applied to >ahem< flatulence,
unless, of course, you're referring to a bus. I think that this expression
originated in the deep South (circa 1861), when antebellum ladies would fan
themselves at the slightest provocation to indicate their complete femininity.
(Women that didn't faint were considered "unsexed".) The fanning gesture implied
that they were attempting to clear the poisonous, unhealthful air (vapors)
around them. By the way, why do you need this information? (I'm just curious...)
Marlene Reynolds, Phoenix, AZ
Independent Contractor/Freelancer
