Americans like to say “lick”

Today’s Blondie’s comic is not particularly comical, but I use it to illustrate that Americans like to say ‘lick’.  “One lick of work” is the signature word that Bumstead’s boss would say to him as to his work. “Lick” means the smallest effort of work.  It also means the least bit, such as “down to the last lick of paint.”

“Lick” also means defeat; William Faulkner wrote in one of his essays, “I’ll fight you.  If you lick me, you take what money I have.  If I lick you, I baptise you into my church: battered, and mauled and gouged that one into sanctity and civic virtues then . . .”  We often read in sport writing that the team was licking their wounds after an ignominious defeat.

FDR introduced Churchill to a press conference (photo right) on December 22, 1941 the day he arrived at the White House.  Churchill was asked about the Singapore situation in the Pacific theater, “How long it would take to lick these boys [Jap]?”  Churchill had no idea what ‘lick’ means and FDR had to explain it to him.

Gettysburg Battle (July 1-3, 1863) was the turning point of the Civil War, but Lincoln was disappointed that General Meade failed to pursue the retreating Robert Lee to finish him off.  Lincoln told his son, Robert (who was home visiting from Harvard), “If I had gone up there I could have licked them myself.” (Lincoln was right in my view; there were more casualties in both sides after than that before the Gettysburg Battle.)

General Grant

The battle of Shiloh (fought April 6-7, 1862) was the first major victory of the Union.  At the night of the first day, Union army suffered a terrible loss; Sherman said, “Well, Grant, we’ve had the Devil’s own day, haven’t we?”, to which Grant responded, “Yes, Lick them tomorrow, though.”  Licked them they did next day.  

General Bradley and Patton also used ‘lick’ on numerous occasions, I think Patton said, “I feel that we will lick him [Rommel] so long as the Lord stays with me.

Even Scarlett O’Hara said at the end of Gone with the Wind, “As God

is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!”

This is the difference between American language and English: Churchill didn’t understand the favorite use of ‘lick’ by famous Americans.