Motor City; Michigander; Michigas

[Frank Abate]

Barry

Michigander is the fem. form.  The masc. is Michigoose.

Frank Abate

American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote:
>
> MOTOR CITY
>
> "Don't forget the Motor City!"
>
>    "Motor City" is not on my online OED.  I guess they forgot.
>    See George Shankle, AMERICAN NICKNAMES (1937).
>    A card in the card file of the Detroit Public Library reads:
>
> Detroit--Motor City
>    1919--2 businesses with that name
>    1921--3 businesses with that name
>    1937--13 businesses with that name
> See Detroit city directories.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> MICHIGANDER
>
>    A lot of clippings in the "Names" clipping file attribute this to Abraham Lincoln in 1848.  A quick Making of America database check didn't turn up any earlier cite.  I have a nice "Michigander" cartoon from the 1850s.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> WOLVERINE
>
>    The clippings in the "Names" file give the earliest cite as 1835.  A quick Making of America check didn't turn up earlier, but maybe there's a variant (wolvereen?).
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
> MICHIGAS
>
>    Some Yiddish term, I dunno.
>