Gary Carter Invades Your Dictionary

Next time you flip open your dictionary, get ready to shvitz. Because Gary Carter has forced his way in there. From the Associated Press:

“So who’s responsible for lobbing F-bomb far and wide? Kory Stamper, an associate editor for Merriam-Webster, said she and her fellow word spies at the Massachusetts company traced it back to 1988, in a Newsday story that had the now-dead Mets catcher Gary Carter talking about how he had given them up, along with other profanities.”

Thanks to the magical power of the Internet, which is apparently operated by Deadspin, we have that Newsday article as well:

“Carter rarely uses profanity, so he was taken aback when umpire Greg Bonin leveled some on him in the seventh inning Monday night in Pittsburgh. Carter was called out on strikes and told Bonin he thought the pitch was outside. “He started cursing me and said I accused him of being a liar,” Carter said. “After he started cursing, I walked away and I said, ‘Why are you cursing at me?’ He said, ‘I talk like that.’ I said, ‘OK, guttermouth.’ ” Carter said he has been thrown out only twice in the majors, both times by Eric Gregg. “That was when I used to use the F-bomb.”

So move over, Bill Shakespeare, Gary Carter is onto that word-creating dodge. Hopefully the Hall of Fame takes note and amends his plaque to include this important information.