Idle Speculation

[ladysprite]

Does anybody know where, exactly, the phrase 'buck naked' comes from? A buck is not any more or less naked than any other animal; if anything the antlers might actually make them less naked instead of more, depending on how you look at it. And if it's monetarily speaking, a buck is awfully cheap.

While I'm thinking of it, actually, why is a dollar a buck?

Personally, I'd rather be sawbuck naked. Or even C-note naked. I'd like to think I'm at least somewhat more valuable than a Wendy's Junior Cheeseburger....

Comments

[asciikitty.livejournal.com]

A doller, I've heard, is a "buck" because of fur traders, and trading buckskin.

I don't know why it's "buck naked" though

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

I heard somewhere that it's a more acceptable form of the phrase "butt naked" cleaned up a bit for polite company. I don't know if that's true, though.

[zonereyrie.livejournal.com]

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001351.html
http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001005
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040927.html

So it seems the answer is - no one is sure.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Um, if I give you a dollar, will you let me see you naked? ;)

origins

[gmkieran.livejournal.com]

american heritage dictionary agrees with lensedqso

ADVERB & ADJECTIVE: Chiefly Southern U.S. Bare-naked.
ETYMOLOGY: buck- (perhaps alteration of butt4) + naked.

While the Maven's word of the day site offers a lengthy explanation covering all you asked and more (based on the OED, no less)

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001005

I love google. *g*

Re: origins

[siderea]

covering

Or not, as the case may be. :D

Re: origins

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, the phrase "stark naked" also means "butt naked"- stark is a either folk-etymolgy morph from "start", an obsolete word for "tail" (ME stert, OE steort)- like in "redstart", or a direct descendent of AS steorc or sterk, also meaning "tail" or behind.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

My personal opinion is, if you're naked, I'm perfectly happy to call you whatever you want ;)

[tafkad.livejournal.com]

"Buck Naked, Texas Ranger" was a character in Hose-a-Rama, if that helps any . . .

No? Didn't think so. . . .

[warinbear.livejournal.com]

I'd like to think I'm at least somewhat more valuable than a Wendy's Junior Cheeseburger....

Then by all means go ahead and think it. <g>

It's true, after all. (It's even true if you put 'franchise' in place of 'Junior Cheeseburger'.)

Buck Naked

[whiffert.livejournal.com]

Is the deepest desire of anyone obsessively infatuated with Gil Gerard.