Origin of the word "Gizmo" (was Origin of the word "Tantrum")

[Michael Adams]

 I haven't a clue about the etymology of "gizmo," but I wonder if anyone else (Barry, particularly) has ever encountered it as a food term? In eastern Pensylvania, perhaps in Philadelphia and associated New Jersey, too, a "gizmo" was a sandwich shop item, half hamburger and half ham sandwich -- or maybe I should say whole hamburger and whole ham sandwich, but what I really mean is equal parts hamburger and ham sandwich. I decided after I ate my first and only one, that it was meant for those who couldn't get enough meat or salt from any other sandwich on offer.

 Michael

 -----Original Message-----
 From: wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM
 To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
 Sent: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 1:36 PM
 Subject: Re: Origin of the word "Gizmo" (was Origin of the word "Tantrum")

  Any new suggested etymologies for "gizmo/ gismo" ?  OED and HDAS are both at a

loss.



  The OED entry (unlike another I might name) obscures the fact that the word

first came to prominence in the U.S. naval services (perhaps especially in the

Pacific) during WWII. It doesn't seem to appear in any pre-war glossaries of

Annapolis slang, for example.



  I'd suggest looking at Chinese, Tagalog, or another Pacific Rim language.



  JL











"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:

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Sender: American Dialect Society

Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson"

Subject: Re: Origin of the word "Tantrum"

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>Unknown?



Unknown to me anyway, and apparently to the modern dictionaries.



-- Doug Wilson





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