pidgin English and "Nix Forstay"

Sun Feb 29 17:34:09 UTC 2004

This was (re)found while thinking about Gerald Cohen's forthcoming article on "Spiggoty=spic/spik" and a pig-Latin article I'm preparing for StraightDope.

>From the OED, under "nix" --

   1866 CAPT. FLACK Prairie Hunter (1879) xxi. 98 When 'Nix-forstay' (a common nickname for the Germans in the far south-west) returned..he proceeded to rake the fire for his supper. 

SC