joystick

[Michael Quinion]

Douglas G. Wilson commented:

> Several Web sites give this etymology, but without evidence. A few
> modern instances of "Joyce stick" for "joystick" can be found, but
> maybe this is a modern 'correction' following this supposed etymology
> (whether it's true or not) rather than an old usage.

While researching for "Port Out, Starboard Home" I looked into this,
making enquiries, for example, of the department of aeronautics at
the Science Museum in London. There is no contemporary reference that
we could find to a Joyce being concerned with the device, nor of its
being described as a Joyce stick in the early years. The conclusion
must be that it is a folk etymology, perhaps one created to defuse
what might seem to some observers to be a sexually suggestive term.
But it is interesting to note that it is much older than my sources
suggested. But as nobody seems to know why it was called a joystick,
either, perhaps we shouldn't be too dogmatic about this!

--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: <wordseditor at worldwidewords.org>
Web: <http://www.worldwidewords.org/>