Fwd: The Word Detective, July 10 through July 21, 2000

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I had posted "goon" here awhile back.
--Barry Popik

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Date: Sat, 01 Jul 2000 11:25:36 -0400
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From: Evan Morris <words1 at word-detective.com>
Subject: The Word Detective, July 10 through July 21, 2000
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The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Monday, July 10, 2000

Dear Word Detective: Where did "bogus" originate?  My name is Art Bogue and
I didn't make it up. -- Arthur Bogue, via the internet.

No kidding.  Are you sure about that?  I've checked my reference books and
they all seem to identify you as the source of "bogus" back in
1974.  Something about an incident involving you selling a waffle iron
autographed (or not, I guess) by Elvis Presley to your brother-in-law?

I'm joking, of course.  "Bogus," meaning fraudulent or phony, was around
long before your waffle iron adventure.  When "bogus" first appeared in
print way back around 1797, it was as underworld slang for counterfeit
coins (counterfeit bills being known for some unknown reason as
"coneys").  Somewhat later, by 1828, "bogus" was being used to mean the
machine (known as a "bogus press") used to produce counterfeit coins.  By
about 1848, usage of "bogus" had expanded to include phony paper money as
well, and in fact "bogus" had become a general adjective applied to
anything, from phony gold bars to boyfriends, that turned out to be less
valuable than it first appeared.

Eventually, "bogus" was applied to anything of poor quality, even if it
never pretended to be well made.  The current use of "bogus" to mean
"useless" probably owes some of its currency to the lingo of computer
hackers, who have expanded the term to include a measurement of phoniness
("bogosity"), and even claim to have identified the elementary particle
("bogon") of bogusness.

The origin of "bogus" is, unfortunately, a mystery, although, as the Oxford
English Dictionary puts it, "many guesses have been made, and 'bogus'
derivations ... given" over the years.  One theory traces "bogus" to
"boko," which means "fake" in the West African Hausa language.  Since
"bogus" did first appear in America, this raises the possibility that its
ancestor was brought here on a slave ship.
Another theory is that "bogus" may have arisen in criminal slang as a short
form of "tantrabogus," evidently a 19th century slang term for an
odd-looking or menacing object, leading some authorities to believe that
"bogus" might be linked to "bogy" or "bogey" (as in "bogey man"), a very
old name for the Devil.

The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Wednesday, July 12, 2000

Dear Word Detective:  Recently, I became involved in a disagreement over
the origin and exact definition of the word "goon."  Specifically, I recall
reading many years ago that "goon" referred to a thug hired to attack union
members in the course of a strike or labor dispute.  My opponent, who had
used the word to describe union members -- hence my correction of his use
of it in this context -- insisted that the word is essentially just a
synonym for "thug."  Which of us is correct? --  Giff Nickol, via the internet.

Well, to be diplomatic, you're both right. "Goon" meaning "thug" or
"strong-arm man" was, in the context of labor organizing in the 1930s and
40s, most frequently used to mean a ruffian hired by company management to
threaten or attack union members.  However, there is some evidence that in
its initial appearances in print, around 1938, "goon" was applied to union
members who harassed or intimidated non-union workers.  But there's no
doubt that Woody Guthrie had "bosses' thugs" in mind when he wrote the song
"Union Maid" in 1940:

"There once was a union maid, she never was afraid, of goons and ginks and
company finks and the deputy sheriffs who made the raid.  She went to the
union hall when a meeting it was called, and when the Legion boys come
'round, she always stood her ground."

The original meaning of "goon," however, had nothing to do with
unions.  "Goon" first appeared around 1921 meaning "a dull or stupid
person, an oaf," most likely derived from the English dialect word
"gooney," meaning "simpleton."  The use of "goon" to mean "a stupid person"
got a big boost from the appearance in 1933 of a character named "Alice the
Goon" in the popular "Thimble Theater" (a/k/a "Popeye") comic strip.

The use of "goon" to mean "hired thug" probably derived from this "idiot"
sense, but another theory (proposed by Hugh Rawson in his excellent book
"Wicked Words") traces it to the Hindi word "gunda," meaning "hired tough,"
apparently often spelled "goondah" in British newspapers of the 1920s.

The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Friday, July 14, 2000

Dear Word Detective:  Any idea on the origins of the phrase "Gordon
Bennett"?  I believe it is something to do with an American newspaper
proprietor, but have not found an authoritative answer as to why it has
become a phrase in itself. -- Paul Orton, UK, via the internet.

You'll hear "Gordon Bennett!" only in the UK, oddly enough.  Although the
real Gordon Bennett was an American, the use of his name as an expletive
(roughly equivalent to "Holy Smokes!" or the like) is almost entirely
confined to Britain.

There were, in fact, two "Gordon Bennetts," father and son, both newspaper
magnates.  The elder James Gordon Bennett, born in Scotland, founded the
New York Herald in 1835.  His son, James Gordon Bennett II, is best
remembered as a journalist for sending Stanley to look for Livingstone in
Africa.  But it was young Gordon Bennett's extracurricular activities,
including a scandal that included being horsewhipped by his fiancee's
brother, that drove him into exile in Europe for the rest of his
life.  Once in Paris, Bennett's flamboyant lifestyle (he dithered away $40
million dollars by the time he died in 1918) made his name a household
word.  The earliest use of "Gordon Bennett" as an exclamation is found in
print only very recently, in 1983, but popular sayings may thrive by word
of mouth for many years before they are written down. "Gordon Bennett!"
almost certainly actually came into spoken use during Bennett's life.

But why, in any case, should the name of a newspaper magnate connote
exasperation?  After all, very few people routinely exclaim "Hearst!" or
"Rupert Murdoch!" when they stub their toes.  The answer is that "Gordon
Bennett" probably arose simply as a convenient euphemism for another common
British expression of surprise: "gorblimey," or what Americans know in its
shortened form as the quintessential Cockney expression, "blimey!"

"Gorblimey" appeared in 19th century English slang as a corruption of the
oath "God blind me!", used on the same occasions of shock or distress when
an American might well say "I'll be damned!"  Such expressions were, until
relatively recently, considered improper and even blasphemous in polite
society, so when James Gordon Bennett's name was on everyone's lips at the
turn of the century, it was "borrowed" to do duty as a handy euphemism.

The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Monday, July 17, 2000

Dear Word Detective:  I have heard the phrase "Happy as Larry" a few times,
usually from English friends.  Though they are happy to use the phrase, no
one seems to know its origin.  I heard the phrase again in the recent film
"Chicken Run" and now I must know who Larry is. And why is he so darn
happy?  And can I have some of what he has? -- Kimberlie, via the internet.

You'll have to take that up with Larry when you find him.  "Happy as Larry"
is a British-Australian catch phrase that simply means "extremely happy" or
"very pleased with the way things are going."  The Rural-American
equivalent of "happy as Larry" (although my rendition will be a bit
sanitized for family consumption) would be "happy as a pig in mud."

Since "happy as Larry" is a phrase native to the Commonwealth, it's not
surprising that you've heard it largely from English friends.  And since
"Chicken Run" (a currently popular film starring animated clay chickens in
a sort of avian parody of "Stalag 17") was directed by the Brits
responsible for the "Wallace and Gromit" movies, use of the phrase in its
screenplay is no surprise either.

Unfortunately, there is a conspicuous lack of verifiable information about
"happy as Larry."  The phrase seems to have originated in Australia around
the end of the 19th century, and first appeared in print (as far as we know
so far) in 1905.  The leading theory is that "happy as Larry" originally
referred to the Australian boxer Larry Foley (1847-1917), but no one seems
to know if, when or why boxer Larry would have been happy enough to inspire
a popular saying of such remarkable longevity.

----------
Do you ever wonder where a word or phrase came from?  Send your queries to
The Word Detective, P.O. Box 1, Millersport, Ohio  43046.  We can also be
reached via Internet e-mail at questions at word-detective.com.  An archive of
previous columns can be found on the Web at www.word-detective.com.

The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Wednesday, July 19, 2000

Dear Word Detective:  As a copy editor, I love your web site.  Whenever the
copy desk comes across a phrase we don't know, I turn to your site to find
the origin!  My question comes from a Defense Department official who
misspoke.  (Gasp!  That never happens!)  He said, "the proof of the
pudding."  We on the desk know it should be "the proof is in the pudding,"
but we don't know where it came from.  Can you help? -- Lauren, via the
internet.

Oh goody, copy editors. I hope you don't mind that I fixed the punctuation
in your question.  Just kidding.  We love copy editors around here.  Who
but a copy editor, after all, could derive such great joy from changing
every "that" in the universe to "which"?  And vice-versa, of course.  Which
isn't a complete sentence, as you have no doubt noticed, but neither is this.

Meanwhile, back at your question, I have some bad news. I would be the last
person on earth to defend the often baroque and evasive locutions of
Defense Department officials, but "the proof of the pudding" is actually
closer to the original form of the proverb in question.  The entire phrase
is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," meaning that the true value
or quality of a thing can only be judged when it is put to use.  ("Proof"
in this context means "the act of testing," rather than our more common
"conclusive evidence" sense.)  "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"
dates back to around 1600, and is more often heard in the United Kingdom
than the U.S., probably because puddings of various kinds occupy a more
prominent place on the dinner table there.

"The proof is in the pudding," a fairly common mutation of the proverb,
does make a certain amount of sense, i.e., that the final product, not the
recipe, is what counts.  But personally, I can't shake the feeling that
"the proof is in the pudding" would make an excellent last line for a
Sherlock Holmes mystery.

The Word Detective
By Evan Morris
Copyright 2000 by Evan Morris
For Release:  Friday, July 21, 2000

Dear Word Detective:  Can you help me with the origin of the term
"well-heeled"?  I assume it refers to a wealthy man who keeps his shoe or
boot heels up, but I haven't been able to find a definitive reference or
original usage. -- Jim Puskar, via the internet.

I'll certainly give it a shot, but I'm not entirely clear on the origin you
seem to be proposing.  Do you mean that "well-heeled" comes from the
ability of rich folks to keep their footwear in good repair?  Or do you
mean (as I first interpreted your question) that the wealthy get to relax
and put their feet up most of the time?  Personally, I like the sound of
the second interpretation.  If I were rich, I wouldn't even wear shoes.

As it happens, however, "well-heeled," meaning "rich" or at least
"well-off," is usually thought to refer to the well-maintained shoes of the
rich and famous.  Someone who is "well-heeled" certainly has enough money
(and probably, like Imelda Marcos, enough pairs of shoes) to ensure that
the heels of his or her shoes are regularly replaced before they
deteriorate from wear.  "Well-heeled," an American coinage, first appeared
in print around 1873.  Curiously, that date makes "well-heeled" a newcomer
compared to its opposite, "down at the heels," meaning "poor" or
"destitute," which was common by the 17th century.  "Down at the heels"
refers, of course, to the sad state of a poor person's worn-out shoes.

Although "well-heeled" may well refer to the healthy heels of a rich
person's shoes, there is another possibility.  To be "heeled" in the Old
West meant to be armed, usually with a pistol, perhaps by allusion to the
fighting spurs used in cock-fighting.  The sense of "prepared" and
"powerful" in this and later uses of "heeled" may actually lie at the root
of "well-heeled."

----------
Do you ever wonder where a word or phrase came from?  Send your queries to
The Word Detective, P.O. Box 1, Millersport, Ohio  43046.  We can also be
reached via Internet e-mail at questions at word-detective.com.  An archive of
previous columns can be found on the Web at www.word-detective.com.

--
Evan Morris
words1 at word-detective.com
http://www.word-detective.com

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