[Ads-l] 23-Skidoo

[Jonathan Lighter]

The heart of the improbable tale is that "23-Skidoo" was actually "forty or
fifty years old" and originated "in circuses" where "there were always 23
acts."  "Skidoo" is a "variation of Skedaddle" (almost certainly true).
After the 23rd act, the boss tentman would tell his workers "Twenty-three!
Skidoo!"

Get it?

If any real corroboration of this story exists, I'd like to see it.

Mencken rehearsed several such etymologies.

JL

On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 5:51 AM, Peter Morris <
peter_morris_1 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Morris <peter_morris_1 at BLUEYONDER.CO.UK>
> Subject:      23-Skidoo
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This phrase is of mysterious origin. It's a puzzle that
> has had people scratching their heads for decades.=20
>
> Here's a possible lead.  I've located a 1906 article named
> "HOW 23, SKIDDOO ORIGINATED." This is contemporary=20
> with the earliest known use of the phrase.=20
>
> Google snippet only shows the title, and gives no indication
> of the content. I think it's worth checking out, and I'd love to know
> what it says.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/zqsgyxs
>
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>



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