Bloke that Puts the Acid On, The

DESCRIPTION: "The Milit'ry Service Board Sat in state the other day To refuse or give exemptions"; they exempt a man with a wooden leg, "But the bloke that puts the acid on" wants him. The "bloke" takes the aged, even the dead -- but has no need for a healthy rich man
AUTHOR: Henry Kirk (died 1933), aka "The Mixer" (source: Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ)
EARLIEST DATE: 1918 (New Zealand Watersider, according to Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ)
KEYWORDS: soldier money injury
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Bailey/Roth-ShantiesByTheWay-NZ, pp. 116-117, "The Bloke That Puts the Acid On" (1 text)
Colquhoun-NZ-Folksongs-SongOfAYoungCountry, p. 83, "The Bloke that Puts the Acid on" (1 text, 1 tune)

NOTES [20 words]: An online source lists "Put the acid on" as digger dialect for "puts a stop to," which seems to be the meaning here. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.4
File: BaRo116

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