"Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting

[Wilson Gray]

Yes. "Whip game on" is the local, St. Louis version of the more
widespread "run (a) game on." The StL version also means "defeat
utterly" in a sport or a game. A person who is in position to shoot the
moon in a game of (dirty) hearts might exclaim to the other players,
"I'm gon' whup game on all y'all's asses! Think I won't?!" The other
players then reply, "'Spec' you will!"

This was a ritualistic, catch-phrase-y kind of thing. The question,
"Think I won't?" always required the answer, "'Spec' you will," among
friends. In an unfriendly situation, a person might "wolf" on another
and finish with "Think I won't?" If the other person chooses not to
"nub" or "pug" or "go to blows" or "throw (some) blows," he can back
out by smiling and saying "'Spec' you will." Otherwise, he can reply
aggressively.

-Wilson

On Aug 12, 2005, at 9:48 AM, Mark A. Mandel wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "Halloo" = "hello," as simple greeting
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Wilson writ:
>>>>
>                  Another time, some Dutch guys tried to con
> us into thinking that they were fellow Americans. They were quite good.
> Since they weren't trying to whip game on us, we pretended that they
> had faked us out.
> <<<
>
> "whip game on us"?
> con us?
>
>
> -- Mark
>    (by hand)
>