Antedatings of "Scandihoovian" (UNCLASSIFIED)

Mullins, Bill CIV (US) william.d.mullins18.civ at MAIL.MIL
Mon Apr 29 15:16:51 UTC 2013


Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

December 22, 1877
Paper: Salt Lake Tribune (Salt Lake City, UT)
Page: 3  col 2
"WOODEN SHOES -- Or Winnamuck's Scandihoovian After that Red-Headed
Fellow"
[article headline]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Hugo
> Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2013 6:54 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Antedatings of "Scandihoovian"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Hugo <hugovk at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Antedatings of "Scandihoovian"
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Scandihoovian (OED 1929, DARE 1901?)
>
> The earliest example I found refers to tobacco, in a description of
> "Enjoyment in a Lumber Camp" in Michigan and Wisconsin towards Lake
> Superior ("by Bill Nye, in Denver Opinion"), published in The Iola
> Register (May 23, 1884, Iola, Kan.):
> ===
> The tobacco used by the pine-choppers of the northern forest is called
> the Scandihoovian.
> I do not know why they call it that unless it is because you can smoke
> it in Wisconsin and smell it in Scandihoovia.
> ===
>
> The earliest I found referring to a person is in testimony in court
> reports regarding a charge of assault with intent to murder. First the
> The Deseret Evening News (Sep 10, 1889, Salt Lake City, Utah):
>
> [Fred] Laehr came up, and [W.T.] Holland slapped him on the shoulder,
> "Hello, you d--- scandihoovian;" Laehr objected to be called that
name;
> he had had something to drink; Holland repeatd his remark, and some
> words followed;
>
> [...]
>
> Holland came in and spoke to me; he then turned to Laehr and said
"What
> are you? a Skandihoovian or a gentleman?"
> ===
>
> It was similarly reported in The Salt Lake Herald (September 11, 1889,
> Salt Lake City,
> Utah) in a report titled "Held For Battery":
> ===
> Laehr stepped up to Holland, when the latter slapped him on the
> shoulder, and said:
> "Hello, you d-d Scandihoovian." Laehr replied, "What, you call me a
> Scandihoovian!"
> Holland said, "Yes, and Fritz too."
> ===
>
> I don't think Holland was calling Laehr by the nickname "Fritz", but
> rather he's saying Fritz Riesen (present, and "at whose former place
of
> business the fracas occurred") is also a Scandihoovian. Both Fred
Laehr
> and Fritz Riesen sound like German names and that may have added to
the
> insult: using a disparaging nickname for Scandinavians for people who
> aren't even Scandinavian.
>
> Links to sources:
> http://english.stackexchange.com/a/112634/9001
>
> Hugo
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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