skidoosh

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Benjamin Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
> On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Mark Peters <markpeters33 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> I've wondered about squadoosh... I've only heard it on PTI too. Could it be related
>> to squat too? What a great word.
>
> No doubt influenced by "squat" (in usage if not origin), since it
> works like other "squatitives"/"vulgar minimizers". Early cites from
> Usenet:
>
> -----
> rec.sport.boxing, Feb 11 1996
> Should be interesting, despite the fact that the title doesn't mean squadoosh.
> -----
> alt.tv.seinfeld, Oct 18 1996
> These "scandals" you love to enumerate don't mean squadoosh as far as any of
> our daily lives are concerned.
> -----
> rec.pets.dogs.behavior, Jan 27 1997
> That turd is proof that lots of letters after your name don't mean squadoosh.
> -----
> alt.sports.football.pro.tampabay-bucs, Mar 19 1997
> Mike Wolfstone (who apparently doen't know squadoosh about televised
> football)...
> -----

Of roughly the same vintage is squatitive "squadoo" -- perhaps an
intermediary point between "skidoo" and "squadoosh"?

----
alt.startrek.creative, Oct 13 1996
Even though it faces unexplored space, we've encountered nothing.
Nothing at all. Not a thing. Nada. Squadoo...
----
alt.toys.transformers, Oct 28 1996
You've read the BW techs... you can't get squadoo out of them, personality-wise.
----
alt.tv.animaniacs, Mar 12 1997
"That silly old squirrel isn't squadoo!" - Snake
----

--Ben Zimmer

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