"Jimbo"; was: Yumbo

[Wilson Gray]

Well, there was the late Sen. Theodore Bilbo of Miss'ssippi. And there
was the case of the guy named "James" who killed his erstwhile best
buddy because, as he explained it, "I never liked being called
'Jimbo.' '

-Wilson



On 8/5/07, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Jimbo"; was:  Yumbo
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >I thought "Jimbo" derives from "Jim boy."
>
> If anybody knows one way or the other, it ain't me.
>
> But regardless of whether this is true or not, I think the "-m" just
> somehow calls for a "-bo".
>
> You'll encounter Jimbo and Tombo and Sambo (which is sometimes a
> special case, and possibly was a special case originally).
>
> You won't encounter (at least not very often) Johnbo, Joebo, Billbo
> (outside Tolkien), Jerrybo, Dougbo, etc.
>
> Maybe "Jimbo" and "yumbo" have "Jumbo" or "Sambo" or something as a model?
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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