A couple of CJ - to - English loans?

LhaXawy at m!

Did we ever resolve, at the Jargon gathering in Mission, just what the
British Columbia English term "skookum house" (synonym:  "jail") means
deep down?  I believe I heard talk of "spirit house" and "big house", but
wouldn't the original force have been something more like "strong house"?
That is, a place you can't break out of?

And:  Do we know if the English term "the sticks" maybe came from the
Jargon?  It's a synonym for "in the country; in the backwoods; the =
toolies
/ Thules (sp?)"  When I think of the term "stick Indian" which almost
surely is from Chinook Jargon, it leads my mind this way.

Cheers,
Dave