12
December
2007
December
2007
What’s in a name?
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Loading ...This is a little excerpt from a screenplay I’m writing:
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.
I have long enjoyed using the verb “don”, but I was unaware of its obvious, and humorous sounding, antonym, “doff”.
Erik R.
‘Doff’ seems to be going the way of the dodo. As far as I know, the only non-pretentious and/or ironic use of it is in scuba classes, where ‘doff and don’ is an exercise performed at the bottom of the pool to make sure students can deal with all the gear under water.
I can’t really think of a more unsexy way to say “undress”.
Have you never heard of a person doffing his hat to someone?
Tipping a hat to someone, yes. Doffing no. It sounds vulgar.
You may be confusing that with “boffing”, which is vulgar. Not that there’s anything wrong with that . . .
Doff off!
This comment thread has become either deft, daft, or doffed, but I’m not sure which.