"cowboy(s)" = 'blue jeans'?

[Mark.Mandel at LHSL.COM]

The following appeared in LINGUIST List #12.2931,
http://linguistlist.org/issues/12/12-2931.html , and I thought the ADS crew
could probably help too.

>>>>>

Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 07:01:09 -0600
From: Greenberg, Marc L <mlg at ku.edu>
Subject: Slovene _kavbojke_

A friend and colleague, Dr. Marko Snoj, is completing the second edition of
his Slovene Etymological Dictionary and has asked me to help him with some
borrowings from English. Being a Slavist, I am of limited help and he has
stumped me with this: He has asked me whether I know the meaning 'denim
jeans' corresponding to the word _cowboy(s)_ so that he can decide whether
this is the meaning that the Slovene word _kavbojke_ ['ka:w-boy-ke] fem.
pl.
tant. acquired from English or innovated itself. He claims to have heard
this use in an American movie made in 1949. Does anyone know this meaning
for _cowboys_? If so, can you provide a written source for this meaning? If
not, an educated guess about its origin in English? I do not find this
meaning in any of the reference works I have at hand. Please write to me
off-list <mlg at ku.edu> and I will be happy to post a summary.
Many thanks,
Marc
- ------------------------------------------------------
Marc L. Greenberg
Chair and Professor
Dept. of Slavic Languages and Literatures
University of Kansas - Wescoe Hall

<<<<<


                  Mark A. Mandel : Senior Linguist
 Dragon Systems, a Lernout & Hauspie company : speech recognition
 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02460, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com