Early in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders, the story's narrator, Ponyboy Curtis, is describing the nature of his and his fellow "Greasers" existence. The Greasers are boys from 'the wrong side of the tracks,' the kids from lower-income families whose outlook tends toward bleakness and who are in a perpetual state of war against the children from families much higher up on the socioeconomic spectrum. Discussing his wounds with older, tougher Greasers, Ponyboy is compilmented by Dallas Winston, the quintessential tough guy, an by Two-Bit, another Greaser, about his bruises and cuts:
"Nice-lookin' bruise you got there, kid."
I touched my cheek gingerly. "Really?"
Two-Bit nodded sagely. "Nice cut, too. Makes you look tough."
At this point, Ponyboy explains the difference between "tuff" and "tough," which he describes as follows:
"Tough and tuff are two different words. Tough is the same as rough; tuff means cool, sharp--- like a tuff-looking Mustang or a tuff record. In our neighborhood both are compliments."
Basically, "tuff," in Hinton's use, is analogous to "phat" in modern terminology, the manipulation of a word for social purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment