Fwd: Elephant Ears Info...

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:17 AM -0500 3/2/00, Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
>  I asked the Indiana Historical Society about Elephant Ears at the
>Indiana State Fair.
>--Barry Popik


The ultimate goal here will of course be to demonstrate once and for all
the etymological connection between "hoosier" and "whose ear?"  I don't
think we're quite there yet.

larry

>
>From: Heather Almond <HAlmond at indianahistory.org>
>To: "'Bapopik at aol.com'" <Bapopik at aol.com>
>Subject: Elephant Ears Info...
>Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 15:26:59 -0500
>
>1 March 2000
>
>
>
>Mr. Popik:
>
>Thank you very much for your recent reference request.  Unfortunately, I was
>unable to locate any specific information on "elephant ears" in our
>collections.  I checked the Historical Society's on-line public access
>catalog (OPAC) as well as the card catalogs and clipping files, without
>success.
>
>The following entries for "elephant ears" are taken from three books in our
>reference collection:
>
>1.  Chapman, Robert L., Ed.  New Dictionary of American Slang.  New
>York: Harper & Row, 1986.  "Elephant Ears - Large, thick metal discs on the
>outer shell of a rocket or missile." (123)
>
>2.  Mathews, Mitford M., Ed.  A Dictionary of Americanisms: On
>Historical Principles.  Chicago: U Chicago Press, 1951.  "The large-leaved
>Colocasia esculenta, often planted for ornament." (550)
>
>3.  Cassidy, Frederic G., Ed.  Dictionary of American Regional English.
>Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1991.  "A round, swirled, sugar-glazed pastry.
>Elephant track - big, thin, has a sugar coating.  Elephant ears - crisp
>Danish pastry.  1985 Capital Times (Madison, WI) 18 July 23/1.  Come one,
>come all, and sample the Brobdingnagian assortment of comestibles (food,
>that is) at the Dane County Fair.  It's hard to go wrong with elephant ears
>and cotton candy.  1986 DARE File IL, IN, Elephant Ears: large oil-fried
>sheet of dough, usually sprinkled with confectioners sugar." (287)
>
>You might want to check with the Indiana University Folklore Institute down
>in Bloomington, IN.  I am including their contact information below.  The IU
>Library Reference Services Department might also be able to help.  If
>nothing else, they hopefully will be able to better point you in the right
>direction.
>
>In addition, I am including the contact information for both the Indiana
>State Archives and the Indiana State Library, for your convenience.  You
>might want to try checking there as well...
>
>Good luck in your continued search.  Please let me know if there is anything
>else I can do.
>
>Sincerely,
>Heather B. Almond
>
>Indiana Historical Society
>Reference Services
>
>(317)234-0100
>halmond at indianahistory.org
>
>
>INDIANA UNIVERSITY
>Folklore Institute
>504 Fess Avenue
>Bloomington, IN 47408
>Phone:  (812)855-1027
>Fax:  (812)855-4008
>
>INDIANA UNIVERSITY
>Main Library
>Reference Services
>Email:  libref at indiana.edu
>
>INDIANA UNIVERSITY
>Folklore Library
>Main Library, 7th Floor
>Phone:  (812)855-1550
>
>INDIANA STATE ARCHIVES
>117 State Library Building
>140 North Senate Avenue
>Indianapolis, IN 46204
>Phone:  (317)232-3660
>Email:  arc at icprlan.state.in.us
>
>INDIANA STATE LIBRARY
>140 North Senate Avenue
>Indianapolis, IN 46204
>Reference:  (317)232-3679
>Fax:  (317)232-3728