Jasbo, Jazzbo derived from jasper=strange guy

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>dale coye suggests an r-less source of jasbo/jazzbo from jasper.
>possibly, but there's also the nickname suffix -bo as a possibility.
>(what does anybody know about *this*?  is it related to "boy"?)  jimbo
>for james/jim is well attested (Rebel Without a Cause comes
>immediately to mind), but i've heard some others, like robbo, timbo,
>and herbbo.  the question now is: how long has this suffix been
>around?  as long as a hundred years?
>
>arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)

I think this "-bo" is reminiscent of "boy", possibly reinforcing "Jimbo",
"Sambo", "Jumbo", etc. But the origin might be euphonic, cf. "mumbo jumbo",
"gumbo limbo", etc. Lack of parallels is against e.g. "Dando" for "Dan"
[hence "Book 'em, Danno"? (^_^)]. There is also the possibility of e.g.
"Jasbo" < "Jasper Beauregard" (or maybe "James Beauregard").

The similarity of "jasbo" to "jasper" in sound and meaning and usage is too
much for coincidence IMHO. I think "jazzbo" must be essentially an
alteration of "jasper" (much less likely vice versa), and "jasper" has an
obvious likely origin (given name). The exact evolution is not so clear (to
me anyway).

One might also consider whether "jazz ball" = "jazzbo" in some way.
Further, one might consider the parallel "screwball", which denotes both a
baseball pitch and a personal or comedic style.

-- Doug Wilson