Boy, Hidy (Boy, Howdy) (1918--WWI slang?)

Fri Feb 23 13:57:53 UTC 2007

I'm familiar with "Boy, howdy!" but took no notes on it, it being too "colloquial" for my taste.

  But it is absolutely not widespread enough in WWI writings to be considered "WWI slang" in any way, except that it existed in 1918.

  JL

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Sender: American Dialect Society
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Subject: Boy, Hidy (Boy, Howdy) (1918--WWI slang?)
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CREEK DON"T RISE:
_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_the_good_lords_willin_an=
d_
the_creeks_dont_rise/_=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/if_the_good_lords_willin_an=
d_the_creeks_dont_rise/)=20
...
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Does anyone (Lighter?) have "boy, hidy" or "boy, howdy"? Texas seems to hav=
e=20
claimed it.
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_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/boy_hidy_or_boy_howdy/_=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/boy_hidy_or_boy_howdy/)=20
...
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=20
=E2=80=9CBoy, Hidy!=E2=80=9D (or =E2=80=9CBoy, Howdy!")
=20
"Boy, hidy!=E2=80=9D (or =E2=80=9CBoy, howdy!") is now regarded as usually a=
Texas =20
expression. =E2=80=9CBoy, howdy!=E2=80=9D was popular in 1918, during World=20=
War I. The origin or the=20
phrase is unknown. =E2=80=9CBoy, hidy!=E2=80=9D is a combination of =E2=80=
=9Cboy!=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Chowdy!=E2=80=9D=20
and means something like =E2=80=9Cwow!=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cgosh yes!=E2=
=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cgee whiz!=E2=80=9D=20

_Urban Dictionary_=20
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=3Dboy+howdy) =20
boy howdy=20
General expression/interjection, similar in usage to =E2=80=9Cwow,=E2=80=
=9D =E2=80=9Coh, man,=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9C
yep=E2=80=9D.=20
=E2=80=9CDid the colonoscopy hurt at all?=E2=80=9D --"Boy howdy!=E2=80=9D=20
by Swid Sep 9, 2002=20

boy howdy =20
Southern slang. An interjection. Often used as an expression of surprise for=
=20
large quantities of something, or severity of something. See yessum.=20
=E2=80=9CBoy howdy! Them pumpkins sure are big! How=E2=80=99re we gonna car=
ry =E2=80=98em all, Ms. =20
McGregor?=E2=80=9D=20
by Fugerko.? Dec 23, 2003=20

_Never ask a man if he is from Texas_=20
(http://209.85.165.104/search?q=3Dcache:GPy2Ohblw2gJ:www.sga.seagrant.org/wo=
rd/sgw_reception_skit.doc+"boy+hidy"&hl=3Den&
ct=3Dclnk&cd=3D4&gl=3Dus&ie=3DUTF-8) =20
Boy Hidy =E2=80=94 An affirmation.=20
Jim: =E2=80=9CThis little skit sure stinks.=E2=80=9D=20
Terry: =E2=80=9CBoy hidy.=E2=80=9D=20

_Favourite Word_=20
(http://www.vodahost.com/vodatalk/voda-lounge-chit-chat/9204-favourite-word.=
html) =20
07-08-2006, 04:54 AM=20
=E2=80=9CBoy Hidy=E2=80=9D I think I picked that up when I use to live in T=
exas. People=20
look at me really strange. =20

_Amazon Seller Community_=20
(http://www.amazonsellercommunity.com/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=3D1129514=
?) =20
U R A Texan if=20
Posted: Nov 1, 2005 7:07 PM =20
(...)=20
And speaking of gravy, the local Chicken Express advertises they have real=20
Dublin Dr. Pepper. You=E2=80=99re a Texan if you know that means it=E2=80=
=99s made in=20
Dublin, Texas with real pure cane sugar, and boy hidy, that is so good it w=
ill make=20
a rabbit slap a bear!=20

_ReadLarryPowell.com_=20
(http://readlarrypowell.typepad.com/read_larry_powell/2005/12/showers_and_ka=
y.html) =20
It is December 27, 2005, and, as the year draws to a close, boy, is it dry.=20=
=20

Or, should that be =E2=80=9Cboy, hidy=E2=80=9D? Sometimes one loses the grip=
on one=E2=80=99s =20
native slang.=20

_Google Books_=20
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=3DISBN0312151217&id=3DQAPi0EaJo4wC&pg=3DP=
A42&lpg=3DPA42&ots=3Dxw3pdXPCBO&dq=3D"boy+howdy"&ie=3DISO-8859-1&sig=3DhzQcR=
hBBx
3IkDZXMN95hFgzNEPg) =20
Country Music: the encyclopedia=20
by Irwin and Grelun Landon=20
New York: St. Martin=E2=80=99s Press=20
1969, 1982, 1984, 1997 copyrights =20
Pg. 42:=20
For most of its development period, the band (Boy Howdy=E2=80=94ed.) had th=
e name=20
that eventually graced its recording successes. Larry Park commented, =E2=
=80=9CTo us=20
our name=E2=80=99s like a celebration of country music. Boy Howdy=E2=80=94in=
the old Western=20
movies you=E2=80=99d see somebody riding off on a horse and they=E2=80=99d s=
ay, =E2=80=98Boy, howdy,=20
did you see that guy shoot that gun?=E2=80=99 That kind of thing. It=E2=80=
=99s a very =20
western expression.=E2=80=9D=20

_Google Books_=20
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=3DISBN0879320699&id=3DOakPAAAAMAAJ&q=3D"b=
oy+hidy"&dq=3D"boy+hidy"&ie=3DISO-8859-1&pgis=3D1) =20
Academy All the Way=20
by Grover Lewis=20
New York: Simon and Schuster=20
1974=20
Pg. 136:=20
=E2=80=9CBoy hidy, that guy=E2=80=99s weird, you know it?=E2=80=9D=20
Pg. 184:=20
Boy hidy, lemme tell you, I=E2=80=99m a hunnerd percent behind him on that.=
=20

_Google Books_=20
(http://books.google.com/books?vid=3DISBN087565004X&id=3Drb4eAAAAMAAJ&q=3D"b=
oy+hidy"&dq=3D"boy+hidy"&ie=3DISO-8859-1&pgis=3D1) =20
Warning: Writer at Work=20
The Best Collectibles of Larry L. King=20
by Larry L. King=20
Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press=20
1985=20
Pg. 195:=20
=E2=80=9CBoy Hidy, if that chocolate-coated sumbitch don=E2=80=99t stay in=20=
his place...=E2=80=9D=20

13 May 1902, Uhrichsville (OH) News-Democrat,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CHOWDY=E2=
=80=9D (poem), pg. 6, col.=20
1: =20
Man that sez it=E2=80=99s good enuff --=20
=E2=80=9COl=E2=80=99 boy, howdy!=E2=80=9D=20
(...)=20
-- Charles W. Stevenson, in Lippincott=E2=80=99s Magazine.=20

27 July 1918, Bridgeport (CT) Telegram, pg. 5 ad (for wash suits):=20
Boy, Howdy!=20

5 August 1918, Lake County Times (Hammond, IN), =E2=80=9CBoy Scouts Have Wh=
ale of a =20
Time at Camp Near Lowell=E2=80=9D by Lawrence Harris, pg. 1, col. 2:=20
Boy Howdy! It is some camp.=20

16 January 1921, Galveston (TX) Daily News, =E2=80=9CThe Mark of Zorro=E2=
=80=9D ad, pg. 2,=20
col. 2:=20
Boy, Howdy! If you want to see something snappy, exciting, romantic, full o=
f=20
tense action, bubbling over with romance, chivalry and glamour, with thrill=
s=20
running neck and neck even fore the terrific climax=E2=80=94you want to see=
this=20
one.=20

17 September 1921, Oakland (CA) Tribune, =E2=80=9CChips Off the Old Block=
=E2=80=9D by=20
Robert Quillen, pg. 10, col. 1: =20
Another evil effect of the war is that expression, =E2=80=9CBoy, howdy,=E2=
=80=9D=20

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