Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 17:31:45 -0400

From: Evan Morris words1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WORD-DETECTIVE.COM

Subject: Full Monty



"Barry A. Popik" wrote:



THE FULL MONTY



THE FULL MONTY is a movie that just opened; the term was discussed by

Evan Morris in his Daily News column last Sunday.

THE MACMILLAN DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY SLANG (3rd ed.) by Jonathon

Green, for example, has "monte" but no "monty."

The Daily News column didn't discuss this, but what about an influence

from the obvious--MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS? What does that "Monty" mean?



Oxford Dict. of Modern Slang has "monty" meaning "a certainty; used esp.of

a horse considered certain to win a race" and relates it to the card game

"monte."



Partridge (DSUE) notes "monte (also monty)" as meaning "a certainty," also

"Hence (?) a lie." Also mentions the card game.



I know I had another reference but I can't remember where I found it. Mea

culpa.



I remember (to the extent I remember the sixties at all) reading an

explanation of "Monty Python" offered by the troupe itself way back when.

I believe they maintained that the name was pure silliness, though I think

they also admitted a possible connection to Field Marshal Montgomery. I

won't buy the NYT-Brooklyn-letter version of "full monty" without some

serious evidence, BTW.





--

Evan Morris

words1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]word-detective.com

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