bangomen

[Joel S. Berson]

Jon, have you tried "pangoman"?  Google Books has a few hits that
suggest an Asian, perhaps Philippine (tagalog), connection.

 From Google Web:  There appears to be a "Pango-ay" in the Philippines.

Joel

At 7/5/2009 05:48 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>In the words of Ambose Bierce:
>
>             "Ours is a Christian army"; so he said
>             A regiment of bangomen who led.
>             "And ours a Christian navy," added he
>             Who sailed a thunder-junk upon the sea.
>
>A "thunder-junk" is (faux?) Oriental pidgin for "warship," so presumably the
>"bangomen" have something to do with the Far East. The Philippines?
>
>Neither OED or Google Books are any help.
>
>WTH?
>
>JL
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org