Date:  Wed, 20 Sep 1995 20:39:15 EDT

From:  Larry Horn <LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: Re: Terminology of unexcused absences



Just checked with our resident 7th grader (Hamden Middle School, CT), who

immediately volunteered 'cut' and after some thought (i.e. during a

commercial) came up with 'ditching a class' (of course that could have come

from a TV show), but when I asked him about sluffing (or sloughing), his

response was basically that of Natalie's students or Bill Labov's subjects

confronted with positive 'anymore'.  I guess 'cutting a class' is, like

'cool', one of those slang terms that seem to last forever (half a century,

anyway) without losing their status as slang. Permanent ephemera...



 Larry