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

Fri Feb 23 20:06:42 UTC 2007

FWIW, the late author, Ross Thomas, had a character in his 1987 book,
Out On The Rim, whose nickname was "Boy Howdy," "Boy, howdy!" being
that character's catch phrase.

"Hidy," spelled "heighdy" in the eye-dialect of, e.g. the comic strip,
Pogo, is a common spelling of an alternative pronunciation of "howdy."

-Wilson

On 2/23/07, Bapopik at aol.com <Bapopik at aol.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Boy, Hidy (Boy, Howdy) (1918--WWI slang?)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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
> ...
> ...
> ...
> Does anyone (Lighter?) have "boy, hidy" or "boy, howdy"? Texas seems to  hav=
> e=20
> claimed it.
> ...
> ...
> ...
> _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
> ...
> ...
> =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=
> &#1129514) =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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> email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free from AOL at=20
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