Zob (1909-1920)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Music t' me ears, bo. D'ough I dunno 'bout "zig."  Dat's a corker !

JL

"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson"
Subject: Zob (1909-1920)
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Here are a few examples of "zob" =
"fool"/"chump"/"slob"/"gink"/"jazzbo"/"galoot"/"guy". From N'archive.

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_Nevada State Journal_ (Reno NV), 1 Oct. 1909: p. 5(?):

<something about the art of boxing he would get more benefit from him than
he does from the whole camp of zobs that he now has with him.>>

[Ketchel: middleweight champion]

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_Lincoln Evening News_ (Lincoln NE), 1 July 1910: p. B-7:

<<"Every time we look at those sad married men -- having their money saved
for them every week instead of spending it freely pay night and going
around for a touch the next day -- poor zobs. They even seem to like it.
....">>

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_Lincoln Daily News_ (Lincoln NE), 2 Aug. 1915: p. 3-A:

[a panhandler (i.e., a macer) speaks]

<<".... When a zob is righto I hate t' wheedle him more'n twicet f'r de two
bits.">>

<<".... But on some nights, w'en de air's kin' o' nippy an' penetratin',
an' de' [sic] zob I pick out looks like he might be comin' from a lodge
meetin' o' de Sons o' Jonadab or some ag'in'-de-redeye outfit de like o'
dat, I figger dat he's a fall-gink f'r de Jav' t'ing, an' so I slips him
wot I call de Mocha mace. ....">>

[i.e., he asks for money for coffee rather than for liquor]

<<"... many a good tap would come acrost f'r de macer if he wasn't gittin'
maced so of'n by zobs dat he knows, dressed-up rummies, dat sink de pick
into him ev'ry time he goes out t' take de air. / ....">>

<< "All o' dis stuff puts de macin' gag t' de friz. A good zig gits de
pounce by ginks dat've been kind o' buddies o' his'n as he trudges troo de
hotels, an' by de time he makes de street an' starts f'r home he's so shy
o' gum an' cigaret change dat w'en a macer dat's workin' his beat tosses
him de spear he's bellerin' murder inside o' him because he's been so soft
on de perduce wit' his fr'en's, an' de best de macer gits is de coyote
music outo de zob's pipes an' a invitation t' do a Durando down de pike or
stan' f'r a pinch. / ....">>

["coyote music" ?=howling/barking?]
["do a Durando" ?=run [away]? (there was a celebrated runner named Durando)]
["zig" ?=guy/zob? (elsewhere in this piece is "gook" used similarly)]

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_Syracuse Herald_ (Syracuse NY), 13 April 1920: p. 8:

<future than the zob that fell back on his fingers for proof.>>

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-- Doug Wilson


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