Jay Walk (1911, 1916); Snake Oil (1911)

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 12/2/02 10:27:19 AM Eastern Standard Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

> This won't exactly get me on Jay Leno

I don't know.  Jay Leno might indeed be interested in his eponymous Jay Walk.

> OED has 1917 for "jaywalk."  From WASHINGTON POST full text:
>
>     7 May 1911, WASHINGTON POST, pg. M2:
>  _New York Faker's Paradise._
>  _METROPOLIS FULL OF RUBES WHO WILL FALL FOR ANY KIND OF SKIN GAME._
>     (Kansas City Star.)
>  (...)
>     Kansas City used to consider itself a town of jay walkers.

Typical Washington Post ignorance.  That should be "jay hawkers", as Kansas
is the "Jayhawk" state.

"Jaywalk" is named after Henry "Jay" Walke, Capt. USN (1808-96), a well-known
naval officer of the Civil War, whose most famous exploit was to "Jay Walke"
the gunboat USS Carondelet past the Confederate fortifications at Island No.
10.

>  A facsimile of his
> trail would show that he had pursued a course as crooked as that of a
serpent
> with a bun (?) on.

A first guess at the meaning of "with a bun on" would be "intoxicated", but
that simply will not work.  As my father told me, since a sober snake is
crooked [note 1], a drunken snake can be used as a straight edge.

           - Jim Landau

[note 1} "crooked" in the sense of "sinuous" or "meandering", although
popular confusion with the meaning "dishonest" is why crooks are referred to
as "Meanderthals".