AtDTDA: (8) Quit fooling

[David Morris]

I hear all kinds of American dialect in AtD, and I'm not sure if it's
always coming from an American mouth.  And to my ear, a lot of it
sounds vaguely Californian.  I'll try to note where and when I see it
from now on, but I think almost all of it is anachronistic in AtD (but
I'm no linguist).

David Morris

On 5/10/07, Monte Davis <monte.davis at bms.com> wrote:
> Tore Rye Andersen wrote:
>
> > Of course, "quit fooling" may just be an Americanism... like those insecure children who can't understand irony, I have a hard time telling when someone's pulling my leg)"...
>
> I think you nailed it at the end and with the Skippy citation. To this American ear, Slothrop's "quit fooling" has a faint but distinct note of the child or adolescent on the edge of petulance: "You've had your fun, but it's not fun for me any more."
>
> Here, for Lew, it doesn't seem to signify more than that he's still a newbie in England -- and god knows has every reaon to expect foolery from N&N.
>