So explain that title already.
Easy Rider, released in 1969,
is undoubtedly a classic of the period. I remember it well, even if I don't remember
that one of the songs on the excellent soundtrack was a song titled "Don't
Bogart Me", performed by an almost totally forgotten band called "Fraternity
of Man". The refrain of that song, however, has remained not only with me,
but with many of my generation, even though we may not remember that the song
was actually in that movie:Don't bogart that joint, my friend
Pass it over to me.
Don't bogart that joint, my friend
Pass it over to me.
Just how Humphrey Bogart's name became a verb that suggested stingily keeping
something to yourself remains a puzzle, and one that a handful of pages on the
web have tried to explain. One definition in Urban
Dictionary (and quite rightly, the definition that garnered the most votes,
though why people should be expected to vote on a definition in order to make it definitive
is well beyond me - though of course well within the confines of a discussion
of the Wikipedia in general) defines bogarting as:
To keep something all for oneself, thus depriving anyone else of having any. A slang term derived from the last name of famous actor Humphrey Bogart because he often kept a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, seemingly never actually drawing on it or smoking it. Often used with weed or joints but can be applied to anything.
And it seems that it most certainly has been applied to just about everything.
Among numerous examples, I've found pages that bemoan bogarting links and messages,
and, on a
true beauty of a page, position papers. It turns out that a student organization
came up with the idea of publishing
a collection of bright ideas by students. The page in question couldn't resist
having a bit of fun with the idea.
Go to: Don't Bogart that Info