Hot Diggety (Dog) (1906)

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Thu Jul 17 01:27:40 UTC 2003


  About a month ago, under the title "Hot Diggety Dog," an article mentioned my "hot dog" work under someone else's name.  I also found the first "hot diggety."  The HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG has 1923, and the CASSELL DICTIONARY OF SLANG has 1920s+.
  There are several people doing "hot dog" books, so I thought I'd look through the "Popik archives."  Many years ago, I went through the comics looking for slang terms.  One of the greatest comics of them all was "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend," by Winsor McCay.  Our 'toon is a year later than this book:

Call # NBX (McCay, W.Z. Dreams of the rarebit fiend. 1905)
Author McCay, Winsor.
Title Dreams of the rarebit fiend.
Imprint New York : Frederick A. Stokes Company, c1905.

   This "hot dog" refers to "hot dog" style, particular "hot dog" pants.  The HDAS has an 1894 "hot dog" from the University of Michigan WRINKLE.  I had traveled to Michigan to find that "hot dog," too, eight years ago.

   20 September 1906, THE EVENING TELEGRAM (NY), pg. 6, cols. 3-5:

   DREAM OF THE RAREBIT FIEND
      BY SILAS

PANEL ONE:
MOTHER TO BARRETT:  BARRETT!  I WANT YOU!  I WANT YOU TO TRY ON A NEW PAIR OF TROUSERS I'VE BOUGHT FOR YOU.  COME IN!

PANEL TWO:
MOTHER:  MERCY!  YOU'RE AS TALL AS PAPA.  WELL, THEY FIT ALL RIGHT AND YOU MUST WEAR THEM, YOU ARE TOO BIG TO WEAR SHORT PANTS.

PANEL THREE:
MOTHER:  NOW, GO TO SCHOOL, BARRETT. AND BE A LITTLE GENTLEMAN, FOR YOU ARE A YOUNG MAN AND NOT A BOY.  DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

PANEL FOUR:
(Pants and legs starts growing in the next five panels.  The other children at school are amazed--ed.)
BARRETT:  HOD DIGGETTY.  THEY'RE SWELL!  HOT DOG!  JUST THE THING!  EH.  THEY FEEL GREAT!  HOT DIGGETTY!  WHEE!

PANEL FIVE:
BARRETT:  OF COURSE THEY MAKE A FELLOW FEEL AND LOOK TALLER BUT I WILL GET USED TO IT, I SUPPOSE.

PANEL SIX:
BARRETT:  GRACIOUS!  BUT DON'T THEY LOOK LONG!  I FEEL LIKE A SKY-SCRAPPER!  I WISH I WAS NOT GOING TO SCHOOL TODAY.  I DON'T FEEL RIGHT!

PANEL SEVEN:
BARRETT:  I WONDER IF MY MOTHER HAS PUT THESE--AH EH--I WONDER IF SHE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT,--AH--WHY, I BELIEVE I'LL GO HOME AND EXPLAIN IT ALL TO HER.

PANEL EIGHT:
BARRETT:  YES.  I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL.  THIS FIRST DAY ANYWAY.  I FEEL SO QUEER.  I'LL ASK HER IF I CAN'T STAY HOME.

PANEL NINE:
(In school, looking normal--ed.)
TEACHER:  BARRETT McKEE!  WERE YOUR EYES CLOSED?  WERE YOU ASLEEP?  I AM SURPRISED!
BARRETT:  I COULDN'T HELP IT, TEACHER.  I ATE SOME TOASTED CHEESE WITH MY LUNCH TODAY.



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