We were talking today and the term "buck naked" came up. I wondered where it came from, particularly with some of the other phrases with "buck," like "pass the buck" or "buck up." In searching some sites about its origin, I found this site, and others, all of which theorize it's a Bowlderization of "butt naked," though no one was convinced. What do people here think?
No. I agree with the theory that "buck" naked is the original, and refers to the nakedness of slaves (bucks) and other natives. "Butt" isn't used in this country (in this sense, anyway). "Butt" naked is an eggcorn.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Proof, we linked to the same sites with different results. Funny!