I was 10 years old in 1959, which is pretty close to a generation earlier than 1976, so that may be why I would assume the less "colorful" meaning when reading this phrase, though I was of course aware of the racier usage.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> on 10/05/2002 10:07 AM, Jerry & Liz Moos at jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net wrote:
>
> > I think this may be a generational thing. Old farts like Dale (sorry,
Dale)
> > and me learned this phrase in our youths as short for "bone-head", i.e.
> > dumb. The more obscene connotations are, I believe, more recent. One
> > shouldn't have to ban a prefectly good English phrase just because some
> > vulgar persons have recently perverted its meaning.
>
>
> I'd be interested in knowing the generation to which you are referring ...
> as early as 1976, when I was 10 years old, "boner" had its more colorful
> meaning.
>
> --
>
> Steven L. Sheffield
> stevens at veloworks dot com
> veloworks at mac dot com
> aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you
> double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash