Yags

[Jim Rader]

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Kevin--

According to the _Oxford English Dictionary_, the <-s> of "Babs,"
"Fats," "Toots," etc., presumably the same formative as in your
"Jags," is a truncation of the hypocoristic suffix <-sy>, which itself
is not of very clear origin.  I don't find this explanation entirely
satisfactory.  My own speculation has been that the <-s> is a
generalization of plural <-s> in metonymic names such as "boots"
(boy who cleaned boots) and "Goldilocks."  I've never done more
than a superficial search of the literature, however.  If anyone
knows of articles on the subject, I'd be interested.

Jim Rader


> Dear colleagues,
>
> Uninformed as I am about English historical linguistics, this query may be
> more a reflection of my ignorance of the literature than of the novelty of
> the phenomenon that motivated it. In the sports section of the newspaper
> this morning were excerpts from an interview with hockey star (and team
> owner) Mario Lemieux. He recounted a phone call to another player, in which
> he told him "You've got to get in here and play with me and Yags". Yags,
> the sportswriter explains, is the nickname of Lemieux's linemate Jaromir
> Jagr. My question is, where does this final -s come from? I have the
> distinct impression that I've heard other examples of nicknames in -s in
> (North American) English, but a search through Mencken's "The American
> Language" turned up no mention of this usage. Has anything been written on
> the addition of -s to names, and if so, has any linguist speculated on its
> origins?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help,
>
> Kevin Tuite
>

Jim Rader
Etymology Editor
Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal St., P.O. Box 281
Springfield MA 01102
http://www.merriamwebster.com