Jones/jones
Posted by Jim on January 11, 2002
In Reply to: Jones/jones posted by ESC on January 10, 2002
: : : : : Two quickies... the meaning and origin of the verb "to jones". I suspect valspeak here (and thank you to whoever brought that wonderful term to my attention in an earlier thread).
: : : : : Also what's the origin of "mmm hmm" being used as a synonym for "you're welcome" in the USA? This still throws me every time I hear it, since in the UK, "mmm hmm" exclusively means "yes" or "I agree".
: : : : : Thanks.
: : : :
: : : : I'm not sure "mmm hmm"is used as a synonym
for 'you're welcome' unless it is a regional phonomenon like "ehyup" for yes in
some parts of New England or "you bet" or "you betcha" for "you're welcome" in
North and South Dakota. Where did you come across this?
: : : A "Jones" is a drug addiction and "Jones-ing" means the craving or withdrawal symptoms. I am away from my library right now, but I believe the terms have their roots in Black English. I'll check that. It has come to have other meanings, like "love Jones," etc.
: : I can confirm that "Mm-hm" is used as a response to "Thank you" in other parts of the US. I'm in California, and we sometimes do that here when the situation is so casual or impersonal (e.g., a dialogue between a retail clerk and a customer) that the more formal "You're welcome" isn't needed. It is indeed much like "You bet."
: JONES - 1. A strong, overwhelming desire for anything you indulge in or acquire and never get enough of - money, sex, chocolate, gambling, clothes, etc. Originally referred to addiction to h****n or c*****e. 2. P***s. From Black Talk: Words and Phrases from the Hood to the Amen Corner by Geneva Smitherman (Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, N.Y., 1994)
: jones - noun. From family name; semantic development unknown. Originally Black English. 1. narc. a. drug addiction, especially to h****n. 1962 Maurer & Vogel, Narc. Add., (ed. 2) 308: Jones: A drug habit. From Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 2, H-O by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994.
love Jones? Play on words?
ME AND MRS. JONES
Billy Paul
- written by Kenny
Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert
- a #1 hit for Billy Paul in 1972 (released
September 1972)
Me and Mrs. Jones, we got a thing going on,
We both know
that it's wrong
But it's much too strong to let it cool down now.
We meet
ev'ry day at the same cafe,
Six-thirty I know she'll be there,
Holding
hands, making all kinds of plans
While the jukebox plays our favorite song.
Me and Mrs., Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones,
Mrs. Jones got a thing
going on,
We both know that it's wrong,
But it's much too strong to let
it cool down now.
We gotta be extra careful that we don't build our hopes too
high
Cause she's got her own obligations and so do I,
Me, me and Mrs.,
Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones,
Mrs. Jones got a thing going on,
We
both know that it's wrong,
But it's much too strong to let it cool down now.
Well, it's time for us to be leaving,
Iit hurts so much, it hurts so much
inside,
Now she'll go her way and I'll go mine,
But tomorrow we'll meet
the same place, the same time.
Me and Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Jones.