Zob (1909-1920)

[Wilson Gray]

On Jul 14, 2005, at 8:01 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Zob (1909-1920)
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> --------
>
> Music t' me ears, bo. D'ough I dunno 'bout "zig."  Dat's a corker !
>
> JL
>
> "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
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> 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.
>
> ----------
>
> _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]
>
> ----------
>
> _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.
> ....">>
>
> ----------
>
> _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
>

"of'n"?

Does this bit of eye-dialect imply that the writer considered this
pronunciation to be non-standard? Sigh! We'll probably never know.

-Wilson

> 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)]
>
> ----------
>
> _Syracuse Herald_ (Syracuse NY), 13 April 1920: p. 8:
>
> <future than the zob that fell back on his fingers for proof.>>
>
> ----------
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
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