When I saw this phrase, I knew I had to write a post about it. Maybe you guys remember the 1996 alt-pop anthem “Tubthumping” and its near-eponymous album, Tubthumper.
--I don't remember it; I consume it on a daily basis like a multivitamin.
“Pissing the night away! Pissing the night away!” --oh immortal poetry. There was a time in my life when I believed that such a visionary title as “Tubthumping” could only be the result of divine inspiration. God must have spoken to Chubawumba, and he said “tubthumping.”
Nope, I was wrong. The phrase “tub-thumper” has been around since the 17th century.
Anyway, back in the 1600's, English-speakers used “tub” as slang for pulpit.1
And few years hence, if anarchy goes on,
Jack Presbyter shall here erect his throne,
Knock out a tub with preaching once a day,
And every prayer be longer than a play.3
From this root, common folks devised the word tub-thumper to refer to incendiary preachers --the kind of fiery sermonists who would pound their pulpits for dramatic effect (or perhaps to wake up their audience).4
[The word thump has existed in English since the 16th century. It is ontomatopoetic, of imitative origin.5]
The Oxford English Dictionary, however, provides an alternate usage of "tub-thumper" from the 19th century: a cooper!6 (either a barrel-maker or a coffin-maker).
So the ultimate question, at least for me, is what usage meaning did Chubawumba intend, if any?
You may recall the opening monologue of “Tubthumper”:
Truth is, I thought it mattered.--sounds like an angry sermon to me.
I thought that music mattered.
But does it bollocks!
Not compared to how people matter.
2"tub." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 April 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tub.
3Dryden, John. Introduction to Sophonisba. The Poetical Works of John Dryden Vol. II. 12 April 2009. http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Poetical-Works-of-John-Dryden-Volx10524.html.
4"tub-thumper." Carolyn's Corner. Scripps National Spelling Bee. 12 April 2009. http://www.spellingbee.com/glance/talking_words.shtml#tub.
5"thump." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. 12 April 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thump.
6"tub-thumper." Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 12 April 2009. http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50259409.
Photograph of album art of Chubawumba's Tubthumper by Greg Deacy. http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregdeacy/2391913423/
"The word thump has existed in English since the 16th century. It is ontomatopoetic, of imitative origin."
ReplyDelete--I know it seems far-fetched, but I definitely wrote this before Dr. R spelled it all out in class today. Totally not fibbing.