From The History and Secret Origins of Politically Correct Language
Significant Other:
The term Significant Other was first coined by Walter Leno Jr. of Burlington, Vermont, on August 13, 1974, in reference to Louis "Eloise" Tillman, (a 23 year old pre-op transexual with a C cup rack and 8", [NFF]), with whom his best bud, Donny Couts, was involved in a casual, clandestine relationship, exactly like Mac and Carmen on the first season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
For trivia buffs, yes, that IS the same Walter Leno Jr. who appeared in "The Insult That Made A Man Out Of Mac" advertisements for Charles Atlas' free book and protein supplement discount coupons, as seen in virtually every hero, mystery or war comic from the 60's and 70's.
Mac on IASIP and Mac in the comic book ad are different dudes. Mac the character on IASIP goes by that nickname because his real name is Ronald McDonald, but I digress.
For the first few years, that's basically what Significant Other meant: Chick with Dick, with the 'Significant' adjective having originally referenced the size of Tillman's greg. Later it became more inclusive and non gender specific to include beards, (ie: the female companions at social functions of closeted male homosexuals). Now it's pretty much a euphemism for fuck buddy, in an effort to attach dignity to any ongoing sexual relationship that lacks emotional attachment.
A big reason why this vague phrase was adopted in place of wife, spouse, girlfriend, friend, etc. is that too many people today are unable to consistently type "friend" correctly, either through haste or by reason of insufficient education. In addition, only about 50% of women in a study were able to accurately determine when "girlfiend" was a typographical error or an insult, when no emoticons were present. It can also be used to describe a relationship in which neither party is aware of the other party's true motivations.
If other people were 100% honest in what they say, we would hear introductions like this:
"Hi, this is Jasmine, (whispering) she thinks we're in love".
"I'd like you to meet Tiffany. We just fuck, we don't even like each other".
"This is Brad. He's better than a dildo, and he takes the garbage out and opens pickle jars".
"Say hi to Trent. He's a 1989 Type C4".
"Meet Natasha. At least she's not fat".
"I want you to meet Billy. I don't think I want to own him".
"This is THE Kelly you've been hearing about. You see, he/she IS real".
Significant Other:
The term Significant Other was first coined by Walter Leno Jr. of Burlington, Vermont, on August 13, 1974, in reference to Louis "Eloise" Tillman, (a 23 year old pre-op transexual with a C cup rack and 8", [NFF]), with whom his best bud, Donny Couts, was involved in a casual, clandestine relationship, exactly like Mac and Carmen on the first season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
For trivia buffs, yes, that IS the same Walter Leno Jr. who appeared in "The Insult That Made A Man Out Of Mac" advertisements for Charles Atlas' free book and protein supplement discount coupons, as seen in virtually every hero, mystery or war comic from the 60's and 70's.
Mac on IASIP and Mac in the comic book ad are different dudes. Mac the character on IASIP goes by that nickname because his real name is Ronald McDonald, but I digress.
For the first few years, that's basically what Significant Other meant: Chick with Dick, with the 'Significant' adjective having originally referenced the size of Tillman's greg. Later it became more inclusive and non gender specific to include beards, (ie: the female companions at social functions of closeted male homosexuals). Now it's pretty much a euphemism for fuck buddy, in an effort to attach dignity to any ongoing sexual relationship that lacks emotional attachment.
A big reason why this vague phrase was adopted in place of wife, spouse, girlfriend, friend, etc. is that too many people today are unable to consistently type "friend" correctly, either through haste or by reason of insufficient education. In addition, only about 50% of women in a study were able to accurately determine when "girlfiend" was a typographical error or an insult, when no emoticons were present. It can also be used to describe a relationship in which neither party is aware of the other party's true motivations.
If other people were 100% honest in what they say, we would hear introductions like this:
"Hi, this is Jasmine, (whispering) she thinks we're in love".
"I'd like you to meet Tiffany. We just fuck, we don't even like each other".
"This is Brad. He's better than a dildo, and he takes the garbage out and opens pickle jars".
"Say hi to Trent. He's a 1989 Type C4".
"Meet Natasha. At least she's not fat".
"I want you to meet Billy. I don't think I want to own him".
"This is THE Kelly you've been hearing about. You see, he/she IS real".
