"Keister" etymology (valise=turkey?)

Sat Dec 10 03:49:57 UTC 2005

Any updates on "keister"?
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(OED)
keister
U.S. slang.  
[Etym. unknown.]   
1.  a. A suitcase, satchel; a handbag; a burglar's tool-case; a salesman's  
sample-case, etc.  
[1881  National Police Gaz. (U.S.) 1 Oct. 10/1 Prominent among the small army 
of confidence operators in this  city are: ‘Grand Central Pete’..‘The Guinea 
Pig’..‘Keister Bob’.] 1882  _G. W. PECK_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-p.html#g-w-peck)   Peck's Sunshine 227  The boy took the knight's 
keister and went to the elevator. 1910  _G. B.  MCCUTCHEON_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-m.html#g-b-mccutcheon)   Rose in Ring 80 Ruby Noakes..was  
directing the contortionist in his efforts to construct a table out of three  ‘
blue seats’ and a couple of property trunks, or ‘keesters’, as they were  
called. 1926  Flynn's 16 Jan. 637/2 All this  chatter 'bout keisters with false 
bottoms an' mushes is mostly pipe stuff an'  hopchin. 1926  Clues Nov. 161/2 
Keyster,  handbag or suitcase. 1933  ‘P. CAIN’  Fast One vi. 211 Hang on the  
front..until you see three big pig-skin keesters go in. 1935  _COLLIER_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-c3.html#collier)  & WESTRATE Reign Soapy 
Smith i. 2 An open  sample case of liberal dimensions..the typical ‘keister’ of 
the street hawker. 1935  Jrnl. Abnormal Psychol. XXX. III. 363 Keyster, a 
suitcase. 1950  _H. E. GOLDIN_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-g.html#h-e-goldin)  Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 114/2 Ditch that keister. It draws heat 
(attracts police attention).
b. A  strong-box in a safe; a safe (see also quot. 1924).  
1913  _A. STRINGER_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-s5.html#a-stringer)  Shadow 36 He made a mental  record of dips and yeggs and till-tappers and 
keister-crackers. 1921  _P._ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-p.html#p)   & T. CASEY in Adventure (U.S.) 18 July 22/2  They..breaks inter the 
keester o' the bank safes an' gits away  with all the stored-up jack. 1924  _G. C.  
HENDERSON_ (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-h2.html#g-c-henderson)  
Keys to Crookdom 409  Keister, bars on certain type of safe. A handbag that can 
 be strapped and locked. 1931  Amer. Speech VII. 110 Can we use  can-opener 
on this keister? 1950  _H. E. GOLDIN_ 
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-g.html#h-e-goldin)  Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 114/2 Easy on the soup (crude 
nitro-glycerine) with that keister or  she'll jam.
2. The  buttocks.  
1931  Amer. Speech VI. 439  Keister, a satchel; also what one sits on. 1951  
_WODEHOUSE_ (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-w3.html#wodehouse)  Old 
Reliable xi. 132 And then  they'd leave me flat on my keister and go off and 
buy candy and orchids for the  other girls. 1968  McLean's Mag. Dec. 1/1 His job 
 at Christ the King was defined by Father Mooney as ‘getting people off their 
 keesters’. 1975  New Yorker 10 Mar. 90/2 Just put  your keyster in the chair 
and shut your mouth.
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     _The Indiana Democrat_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=wSCs6S0EhDCKID/6NLMW2kJW6FqaPewuq7CpLd4gG05wUONAFOFcSQ==)  _Thursday,  March 
22, 1888_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+AND+date:1888-03-22)  _Indiana,_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+AND+cityid:13805+AND+stateid:77+AND+range:1875-1890)   _Pennsylvania_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+AND+stateid:77+AND+ra
nge:1875-1890)   ...going down  Ihe em- bankment, carrying KEISTER with it He 
crawled out from  the..
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     _The Evening News_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=4uFNimLMxoSKID/6NLMW2tpZKKT4lLvb5jxF2izyrUeKcnHnS/aEQEIF+CsZYmrz)  _Tuesday,  
February 21, 1893_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+date:1893-02-21)  _Lincoln,_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+cityid:16387+AND+stateid:62+AND+range:1753-1905)   _Nebraska_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+stateid:62+AND+
range:1753-1905)   ...la. He had  probably not missed the "KEESTER" until 
after the train  left..

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     _The Mansfield News_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=ONKPmHWqWNiKID/6NLMW2s8pA0VyI2L4Sm8wRONoVgrmP3FFBSaSFUIF+CsZYmrz)  _Saturday,  
April 12, 1902_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+date:1902-04-12)  _Mansfield,_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+cityid:17490+AND+stateid:73+AND+range:1753-1905)   _Ohio_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keester+AND+stateid:73+AND+ra
nge:1753-1905)   ...or .white."  :'-'A -Irtru'nk is called "KEESTER" and a 
valise is a "turkey."  To..

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     _The Washington Post_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=wSCs6S0EhDCKID/6NLMW2izlThPhGAk+Jkna/sJzfKlqsC6fUmwfvw==)  _Wednesday,  
November 11, 1914_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+and+slang+AND+date:1914-11-11)  _Washington,_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+and+slang+AND+cityid:31955+AND+stateid:23+AND+range:1753-
1943)   _District  Of Columbia_ 
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=keister+and+slang+AND+stateid:23+AND+range:1753-1943)   ...the few 
tools  of their profession in a KEISTER a universal name for a  small.....of the 
criminal tribe use little or no SLANG although in  certain circles a bad..

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_Lingo  of the Old=Time Chief; ROBBER AND HOBO USE BETTER GRAMMER THAN THEY 
DID IN DAYS  OF JOSIAH FLINT. _ 
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=243123212&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=113418
6474&clientId=65882) 
[Chicago Tribune.]. The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Mar 
15,  1914. p. M1 (1 page) 
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_LINGO  OF UNDERWORLD PUZZLES EVEN POLICE; Not Many Know Crooks' Language 
Thoroughly,  but All Say It Is Declining -- Some Words Handed Down Through the 
Centuries _ 
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=98803441&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1134186474&clientId=65882) 
New York Times (1857-Current file). New York,  N.Y.: Aug 3, 1924. p. XX16 (1 
page) 
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_Ay,  There's the Rub_ 
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=2&did=112311159&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1134186474&cl
ientId=65882) 
By William Safire. New York Times (1857-Current file). New York, N.Y.: Jan 
30,  1983. p. SM8 (2 pages) 