spaz and Tiger Woods

[Fred Shapiro]

On Wed, 12 Apr 2006, FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:

> Secondly, I've heard this term all my life and I have never heard it in
> the way that I think Tiger may have meant it. The writer of the article
> writes " Spaz has become synonymous with useless incompetence..." For
> me, it means nothing of the sort, but rather has to do with uncontrolled
> action, almost always excitement.  When I read the signs the pep squad
> makes for an upcoming game 'Let's spaz out!!', I don't det any idea of
> incomepetence, but excitement.

Growing up on Long Island in the 1960s, this was very common in the
meaning of useless incompetence.  Clearly it was an abbreviation for
"spastic."

Fred Shapiro


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