Dickwads and Dickweeds: A History
Art Taylor, a local writer, critic, and George Mason University English prof who also works on GMU's annual Fall for the Book Festival, has been making a few revisions to his novel in progress. The book is set in 1984, so he's been careful about matters of historical authenticity. Very careful: In a blog post he explains why he had to replace the word dickwad with the word dickweed in a passage. Dickwad only came into circulation in 1989, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, while dickweed started making the rounds in 1984, made famous two years later in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure ("You killed Ted, you Medieval dick-weed!")
No word on the provenance on dillweed, though I'd guess it was a way for Mike Judge to get dickweed past MTV's censors, in time making the word safe for AT&T ads:
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Linked From: June 7th, 2009Waving « Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes
8:34 am[...] that only got bolstered when the comments on a post would, as it often did, melt down into a cavalcade of jackassery. “I’ll care about the commenters,” my stock line went, “when I have proof [...]
2:03 pm
That's like replacing the word "Ernest" with the word "Ernest".
2:58 pm
That's enough, Thor. Oh Are you wearing makeup? You don't need any.
3:29 pm
Ernest, do not comment again, you heedless buffoon. Leave peacefully before you further embarrass your obviously incompetent mother, you benighted dullard. You are a dickwad. Or is that 'dickweed'? No, it's Ernest. That'll do nicely. Ernest.
3:39 pm
If wit were shit, Thor, you'd die from the effort of straining. Give up, already.
3:49 pm
No wit necessary. Please stop being such an Ernest. You prove your idiocy with every comment. Don't type again, Ernest.
3:53 pm
Thor, you don't stand a chance, shithead.
3:59 pm
What a sorry bastard. I'm going back to just reading (though my comment war with this little kid has been mildly amusing). Sorry for subjecting you to such asinine behavior, folks. Ernest is a gas. Not sure which kind, though.
4:36 pm
To put it simply, Thor, your main defects (so far) are stupidity, ignorance and rudeness. That's why people don't like you as they like me. Get lost with dignity if you have any, Thor. Before it really hurts, Thor. You made a complete ass of yourself. And I doubt if you even know it.
4:40 pm
Can someone say 'delusional psycho'?
4:44 pm
Still here, horse's ass?
5:02 pm
Ernest does seem a very nice person.
5:09 pm
Yeah, as if Sarah isn't Ernest's new "Peggy" (which is, in fact, Ernest himself). Everyone knows your game, Ernest/Sarah/Peggy/Bobby. Have an admin check the IP address from which "Sarah" came and I guarantee it's the same as Ernest's. Nice try, loser.
6:08 pm
Thorn,
They say that man evolved from ape. Apparently, Thorn, you haven't evolved yet.
What an awful creature that Thor is, is he not, Sarah?
8:02 pm
I'd say the odds are even money that Thornton himself is just another alter ego of Ernest/Sarah/Peggy/Bobby.
11:17 pm
Hey what gives with this "Your comment is awaiting moderation" thing? When did the City Desk institute this policy?
2:17 am
Dave: This particular thread is getting out of hand, that's all. -WAM
10:04 am
Hmmm...