A Quirk of English Grammar That Died Out After Only 200 Years

Unrolled: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1569366666844192769.html

ahah! I found a counterexample! "killjoy." VO order, no -er, first documented usage 1776 apparently.

Modern day verb-noun compound: ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶p̶t̶o̶ ̶=̶>̶ ̶c̶r̶y̶p̶t̶o̶m̶i̶n̶e̶r̶

Although I don't think any formal dictionary has accepted this term yet

edit: It's surprising hard to find a modern counterexample because verb-noun construction just feels off e.g. minecrypto

Not an expert, but I remember a documentary where they were explaining that time period in question corresponded to big changes in English accent and language. For example, they were arguing that most English before and going into that time period was pronounced with something similar to a Boston or Irish accent; modern British accents are newer and come from the middle to end of that period.

What was happening then to give rise to all this is really interesting to me but I have no idea what it would be. I don't know enough about the history of that region at that time to say.

"Kick-ass" (in use since 1970 according to Merriam) is a similar construction, though used as an adjective and not a noun.

"Telltale" and "taleteller" are a case of both forms existing in parallel:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/taleteller

Verb-noun constructions like this also exist in French; e.g. a "porte-avions" is an aircraft carrier.

Two modern examples that still fit the theme: 'suck-up' and 'kiss-ass'.

TL;DR - my first idea was "scarecrow". Etymonline confirmed it fit the pattern, and linked to several other examples. I searched for '(v.) (n.)' and read through the first 340 examples to find ones which fit the pattern. Nearly all are from the given time period. One notable exception is "sawbones", for surgeon, from Dickens in 1837. Another intriguing one is "Kellogg", from an old term for butcher ("kill hog") dating to the 1200s.

What about scarecrow? "1550s, from scare (v.) + crow (n.). Earliest reference is to a person employed to scare birds." - https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=scarecrow .

That's in the given period (1550 to 1700).

Etymonline adds "For the formation, compare daredevil", at https://www.etymonline.com/word/daredevil?ref=etymonline_cro... , which says:

> For the formation, compare scarecrow, killjoy, dreadnought, pickpocket (n.), cut-throat, also fear-babe a 16c. word for "something that frightens children;" kill-devil "bad rum," sell-soul "one who sells his soul" (1670s).

Dreadnought, according to https://www.etymonline.com/word/dreadnought?ref=etymonline_c... , "is mentioned as the name of a ship in the Royal Navy as early as c. 1596", which is also in the same time frame.

Killjoy is attested from 1776 (see https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=killjoy ) so a bit outside that range, though it comes from earlier use as "Kill formerly was used with other stems (for example kill-courtesy "boorish person," kill-cow "bully, big man," etc.; also compare Kellogg)."

"Kellogg" is from "kill-hog"(!), "attested from late 13c. (Gilbert Kelehog), literally "kill hog," a name for a butcher (compare kill-buck, a medieval surname, also noted as a term of contempt for a butcher)" - https://www.etymonline.com/word/Kellogg?ref=etymonline_cross... . That's earlier than the given range.

I did a search for "(v.) (n.)" to find only entries with a verb and a noun, then read through them to find examples.

There's "tosspot", "heavy drinker," 1560s, from toss (v.) + pot (n.1)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/tosspot#etymonline_v_49568

Oh! What about "sawbones" described as '"surgeon," 1837 (Dickens), slang, from verbal phrase; see saw (v.) + bone (n.)" - https://www.etymonline.com/word/sawbones#etymonline_v_37669 .

rotgut, described as "also rot-gut, "unwholesome liquor; cheap, adulterated whiskey," 1630s, from rot (v.) + gut (n.)" - https://www.etymonline.com/word/rotgut#etymonline_v_43891 .

breakwater, described as ""any structure serving to break the force of waves and protect a harbor or shore," 1721, from break (v.) + water (n.1)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/breakwater#etymonline_v_2739...

picklock, described as "1550s, "person who picks locks;" 1590s, "instrument for picking and opening a lock;" from pick (v.) + lock (n.1)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/picklock#etymonline_v_46295

clingstone, described as ""fruit (generally a peach) having the pulp adhering firmly to the stone," 1722, from cling (v.) + stone (n.). Also as an adjective." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/clingstone#etymonline_v_4773... .

catchpenny, described as ""something of little value but externally attractive and made to sell quickly," 1760, from catch (v.) + penny (n.). Also as an adjective." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/catchpenny#etymonline_v_5326...

marplot, described as "one who by officious interference defeats a design," 1708, the name of a character in Susanna Centlivre's comedy "The busie body;" from mar (v.) + plot (n.)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/marplot#etymonline_v_54198

The already-mentioned "spendthrift" "Replaced earlier scattergood (1570s) and spend-all (1550s)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/spendthrift#etymonline_v_256... .

cut-throat, defined as "murderer, ruffian, assassin," 1530s, from cut (v.) + throat(n.)." - https://www.etymonline.com/word/cut-throat#etymonline_v_2923...

turncoat, "1550s, from turn (v.) + coat (n.). The image is of one who attempts to hide the badge of his party or leader." - turncoat (n.)

stopgap, "also stop-gap, 1680s, from stop (v.) + gap (n.); the notion probably being of something that plugs a leak, but it may be in part from gap (n.) in a specific military sense "opening or breach in defenses by which attack may be made" (1540s)." - stopgap (n.)

Indeed, nearly all of these are from that ~200 year time period!