Another "Jasbo" from 1914. Antedating of the "bozo" meaning

Sam Clements sclements at NEO.RR.COM
Fri Aug 8 01:38:56 UTC 2003


I searched ancestry for the following terms, from 1900-1914:

Jazzbo=nothing
Jassbo=nothing
Jasboe=nothing
jass=too many hits to be worth the time tonight.  Most false.
jazz=nothing

Jasbo=!!!
>From the Edwardsville(IL) Intelligencer, March 10, 1914, a comic strip,
which has 4 panels.  The first starts out "I knew a Jasbo once who read
about a chap getting paid $5000 damages for being struck by an auto and
thinking it was easy money.  He tried it.  Waited until he saw an expensive
looking car........and accidentally stepped in front and ......."

The guy was trying a scam, but failed as the people in the car hit him, but
then hauled him down the road and dumped him in a field.  He was obviously a
foolish idiot.  I took this to to be the meaning of the word as it was used
in this cartoon.

HDAS cites "jazzbo" from 1923 to mean="bozo."

This is the closest meaning I could draw from the cartoon.

This would at least antedate the "bozo" meaning to 1914, in my opinion.

I know that my description of the cartoon is rather incomplete.  Perhaps
Barry or Jonathon might view it in a different light.

George:  You should be able to access this from ancestry, which I assume you
have available?

The banner for the paper is NOT dated(thanks, ancestry), but the cartoon has
1914 in it.  So, at least the year date is correct.



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