Teenage slang "schiznick/shiz" (= great, cool)--Query

[Joel Shaver]

What's interesting is, though I hadn't connected the two until I saw it
written, these words are formed with a similar infix to what my
grandparents and my dad always used to use in what they called
"carnival language" (one of the many pig-latinesque "languages" English
has accumulated).   They said the carnies used to speak it to confuse
and rip off customers.  The infix was more like ee-iz, though.  I'm
sure something like this could have been developed twice by different
groups of people, though it would be interesting to see if there is any
connection.

Joel Shaver

On Feb 3, 2004, at 7:08 PM, Gordon, Matthew J. wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Gordon, Matthew J." <GordonMJ at MISSOURI.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Teenage slang "schiznick/shiz" (= great, cool)--Query
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Shiznik is apparently a variant of  'shiznit' which is formed by
> infixing -izn- to 'shit'. The recent popularization is due to the
> influence of rapper Snoop Dogg fo' shizzle.
>

----------------------------

O Thou, far off and here, whole and broken,
Who in necessity and in bounty wait,
Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken
By Thy wide grace show me thy narrow gate.

        --Wendell Berry
             To the Holy Spirit