zitful

[Dave Wilton]

But the older cite from "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" can't be making reference to
pimples. That book was written in 1943 and is set in the early years of the
20th century. I didn't think zit = pimple was nearly that old.

Doug Wilson suggested in a reply on my site's forum that it is from the German
"zipfelkappe," or a knit cap with a pointed end, often with a tassel
(literally, pointed or cornered cap). That seems much more likely to me.

The post on the Elijah Wood fan forum indicates that the word is still in use in
some quarters.


Quoting "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>:

>      I checked the "zitful cap" item on Google, and it's clear that whatever
> a zitful cap is, it's not your parents' article of clothing.  It contains a
> very colorful scarf attached at the end (presumably the back of the cap),
> which can be wrapped around the neck and evidently the head too (hence its
> reminding the Google writer of a ski hat).  It is not only warm and cozy, "it
> is funny," and "[I'm] not sure whether you can imagine it though."
>     The website this appears on has clearly been prepared by young people for
> a young audience. The "zitful cap" item was one of several responses to the
> question "What is your favourite item of clothing?"
> As viewed by someone just a bit more mature, this colorful cap/scarf might be
> seen as funky and s-o-o-o adolescent, if you totally know what I'm talking
> about.  And what better put-down for something  hopelessly adolescent than to
> refer to it as "zitful"?  So (drumroll please) "zitful" in "zitful cap"
> probably does refer to pimples.
>      Below my signoff is the Google item.
>
> Gerald Cohen
>
> Google item on "zitful cap":
>          Re:RQ: What is your favourite item of clothing?
> « Reply #5 on: February 05, 2005, 01:35:20 PM »         Reply with quote
>
<http://always.ejwsites.net/YaBBSE/index.php?board=16;action=post;threadid=25531;quote=814698;title=Post%2Breply;start=0;sesc=f972f888bd2c7597a4293471c5fa15be>
> ________________________________
>
>
> Quote from: ~littledaydream~ on February 05, 2005, 10:51:09 AM
>
<http://always.ejwsites.net/YaBBSE/index.php?action=display;board=16;threadid=25531;start=0#msg814630>
>
> my cap with an included scarve (the ending of the cap is so long that it can
> be used as a scarve). It is very colourful, every colour of the rainbow, it
> is warm and cosy, and it is funny.  Not sure whether you can imagine it
> though   But I love it.
> And my other hat. I love hats and caps and all that stuff.
>
> xxx
>
>
> I totally know what you're talking about. I think they're called zitful caps,
> but I call them ski hats. Mine is green and orange and white.
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Dave Wilton
> Sent: Sat 8/5/2006 11:07 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: zitful
>
>
>
> "Zitful" appears several times in the novel "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" in
> the
> phrase "zitful cap." The book gives no clue as to what it means. There are a
> couple of other citations for "zitful cap/hat" on the web--literally a
> couple.
> One website defines it as a ski hat, but I don't know what stock to place in
> this.
>
> It's clearly unrelated to zit = pimple. (There are many uses of "zitful"
> meaning
> pimply.)
>
> Anyone have any clue what the term means and where it may have come from?
>
> --
> Dave Wilton
> dave at wilton.net
> http://www.wordorigins.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>


--
Dave Wilton
dave at wilton.net
http://www.wilton.net/dave.htm

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org