Date:  Wed, 25 May 1994 06:55:47 CDT

From:  Natalie Maynor <maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CS.MSSTATE.EDU>

Subject: More Old Mail ("mooning")



> Date:     Thu, 19 May 1994 19:48:08 -0400

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> Subject:   ADS-L: error report from UCLAMVS

>

> The enclosed mail file, found in the ADS-L reader and shown under the spoolid

> 4937 in the console log, has been identified as a possible delivery error

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> pointing to the list has been found in mail body.

>

> -------------------- Message in error (63 lines) -------------------------

> Date:  Thu, 19 May 94 16:46 PDT

> From:  benji wald              <IBENAWJ[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UCLAMVS.BITNET>

> Subject: Re: Re: mooning

>

> I wasn't gonna get involved with this one, but the first citation of 27/8/63

> interested me with the comment about origin two years earlier in California.

> The time frame works, more or less, since I first heard of the practice in

> Sept 1961 in college. I had just entered college (Columbia, NY) and heard

> about pretty soon after. Until now I assumed it was an older custom

> somewhere, and certainly NOT a New York City custom. Men exposing their

> asses to unknown women (and esp when other unknown MEN might also see them)

> is not consistent with the New York City variety of machismo of the time.

> Thus, I believe the custom came from elsewhere, and was practiced by people

> from elsewhere, even if they were college students in New York City. Only

> later did I see reference to the custom among teenagers in the "male

> teenager wants to get his first lay" genre of movies, so that's no good for

> dating purposes (I mean, dating of first citation). Keep researching it

> (if you think it's worthwhile) because as any student of slang

> can tell you, you can't believe what the media says about such things.

> ----------------------TEXT-OF-YOUR-MAIL--------------------------------

>

> > Date:     Thu, 19 May 1994 10:28:30 CDT

> > From:     Randy Roberts <robertsr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]EXT.MISSOURI.EDU>

> > Subject:   Re: mooning

> >

> >   I haven't seen any replies to this query. Apologies if others have

> >   answered with earlier cites or if the printed sources are more

> >   helpful.

> >    The earliest use I found is the 27 August 1963 issue of Look, page

> >   18. ". . . a game called mooning. Three or four boys will crouch

> >   down in a car, lower their trousers and, at a signal, push their bare

> >   bottoms out of every available window. This pastime originated about

> >   two years ago in southern California and has crossed the country: it

> >   has now turned up in Florida." See also March 1965 issue of Holiday,

> >   page 44. From the January 1966 issue of Esquire, page 60, comes ". .

> >   . there are even some girls who enjoy throwing a moon now and then,

> >   just for the hell of it or maybe to strike a blow for academic freedom

> >   . . ."

> >    I found all of the info above in our collection of Scott, Foresman

> >   and Company files. The cites were collected by Clarence Barnhart and

> >   Ethel Strainchamps.

> >

> >   Randy Roberts

> >   Univ. of Missouri-Columbia

> >   robertsr[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ext.missouri.edu

> >

> >

> > ______________________________ Reply Separator _______________________________

> __

> > Subject: mooning

> > Author: kakelly[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]LYNX.DAC.NEU.EDU at INTERNET-EXT

> > Date:  5/13/94 11:41 PM

> >

> >

> > colleagues--can anyone provide info on the earliest attested use of the

> > term "mooning"--the defiant showing of buttocks, usually at figures of

> > authority, by adolescent types? Thanks, Kathleen Kelly

>