Comments on: Wingnut http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/wingnut/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:35:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.1 By: kevrob http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/wingnut/comment-page-1/#comment-361430 Fri, 23 Sep 2016 04:53:12 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4750#comment-361430 Frank Zappa used “wing nuts” in the lyric of “Billy The Mountain.”

And TO THIS VERY DAY, ‘Wing Nuts’ and Data Reduction Clerks alike, speak in reverent whispers about that fateful night when TEST STAND #1 and THE ROCKET SLED ITSELF . . . (We have ignition!) . . . got LUNCHED! I said LUNCHED! (Lunched!) By a FAMOUS MOUNTAIN-IN and his SMALL, WOODEN WIFE. – from the LP, “Just Another Band From L.A.” (1972)

]]> By: Judy http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/wingnut/comment-page-1/#comment-73550 Fri, 07 Nov 2014 13:42:19 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4750#comment-73550 My husband tells me he first heard “wing-nut” for both right wing and liberal usage as part of Mad Magazine satire (1960s?) on how to build a political machine. Evidently it included planks, and screws as well as a reference about “who gets the shaft.” I have been unable to find the original source, but I would love to read it.

]]> By: MarkB http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/wingnut/comment-page-1/#comment-51315 Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:48:22 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4750#comment-51315 Wikipedia claims a ‘moonbat’ reference in 1996, although it’s behind a paywall.

]]> By: Ross Presser http://www.word-detective.com/2011/03/wingnut/comment-page-1/#comment-15788 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:47:06 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=4750#comment-15788 There’s a lone 19th occurence of moonbat:
http://bit.ly/fz4nXb

The helmsman downward turned a troubled glance,
And muttered: ‘Gods! I would he kept his dreams
Unto himself, and let not me have them!
Old moonbat! hath got off the peg of reason.’

This sort of seems like the right context, even.

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