Etymology of Skosh

[Wilson Gray]

On Aug 24, 2004, at 10:53 PM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Etymology of Skosh
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>> A friend of mine who had been sailor in the Pacific Fleet used not
>> only
>> "skosh" but he also used "(i)kimasho" as a slang term for "let's go."
>> I
>> think that "ikimasho" and "kimasho" have pretty much the same meaning
>> in Japanese, i.e. literally, "let's go," ....
>
> "Ikimashou" is a form of "iku" = "go"; I think this is the polite form
> of
> the probable mood, so more or less "[one] might go", or for practical
> purposes often "let's go" ... according to my limited understanding.
>
> "Kimashou" would be the comparable form of "kuru" = "come", I think. I
> don't think this is so common. I think maybe "ikimashou" is what was
> intended.

I have only a superficial knowledge of Japanese. By "literally," I
meant the translations given in the vocabulary lists of the
introductory textbook used at UCLA ca.1967, in which "ikimasho" and
"kimasho" were not clearly distinguished. My ex-Navy buddy didn't offer
a translation. He simply used the words in situations in which "let's
go" would have been the transparent meaning, regardless of the language
in which the words were spoken.

Yasumi nasai,
-Wilson Gray

>
> ["Ikiru" = "live", "kiru" = "wear [clothes]" would give similar words,
> I
> guess.]
>
> Anybody familiar with Japanese, please feel free to correct me.
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>