> > The digital OED 3rd, however, gives this as meaning # 17, "To experience > sexual orgasm. Also with off. slang." > > and cites > > "a1650 Walking in Meadow Green in Bp. Percy's Loose Songs (1868) , Then > off he came, & blusht for shame soe soone that he had endit." > > [A1650 means the usage predates 1650] > > This made me want to go and look for Bishop Percy's Loose Songs, which based > on the title alone sounds like a lot of fun.
I wonder if it's Thomas Percy, Bishop of Dromore and onetime chaplain to George III, collector of Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. He died in 1811, but a book like that can go through a few editions... A quick web search for "Percy's Loose Songs" turned up nothing but the OED cite above. But I did find the actual song, by searching the title, at: http://books.google.com/books?id=wns4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=%22Walking+in+a+Meadow+Green%22&source=bl&ots=edhEr4gOTS&sig=ORjKQg4fovMoq5n662cF8cXabaQ&hl=en&ei=gGT2TeDGCIrCsAPI-8GyCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22Walking%20in%20a%20Meadow%20Green%22&f=false and unless I much misread the second verse, the reference, far from describing ejaculation, appears to mean literally getting off the maiden after an unsuccessful attempt to deflower her. I've typed it as it appears in "Poetica Erotica," p. 102-103, with inconsistent spelling and capitalization: Walking in a meadow greene, fayre flowers for to gather, where primrose rankes did stand on bankes to welcome comers thither, I heard a voice which made a Noise, which caused me to attend it, I heard a lasse say to a Ladd, "Once more, & none can mend it." They lay soe close together, they made me much to wonder I knew not which was wether until I saw her under. Then off her came, & blusht for shame soe soone that he had endit Yet still she lyes, & to him cries, "Once more, & none can mend it." His lookes were dull and very sad, his courage she had tamed; she bade him play the lusty lad or else he quite was shamed; "then stiffly thrust, he hit me just, fear not, but freely spend it, & play about at in & out; once more, & none can mend it." And then he thought to venter her, thinking the fit was on him; but when he came to enter her, the point turned back upon him. Yet she said, "stay! go not away although the point be bended! but toot again, & hit the vaine once more, & none can Mend it." Then in her Armes she did him fold & oftentimes she kist him, yet still his courage was but cold for all the good she wisht him; yet with her hand she made it stand so stiff she could not bend it, & then anon she cries "come on once more, & none can mend it!" Adieu, adieu, sweet heart," quoth he, "for in faith I must be gone." "nay, then you do me wrong," quoth she, "to leave me thus alone." Away he went when all was spent, whereat she was offended; Like a Trojan true she made a vow she would have one should mend it. -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
