Ofaginzy redux

[Wilson Gray]

Joke told by Jim Grella, a colleague in the Army Security Agency.
[Grella claimed that his name was Italian for "grasshopper." However,
I've found only "grilla" with this meaning. He also pronounced "cafe"
as [keif], which is unique in my experience. He was from somewhere in
Ohio.]

Q. How can you tell when an Italian has a flat tire?

A. The tire goes, "Guinie-wop, guinie-wop, guinie-wop-wop-wop."

-Wilson

On 3/30/07, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Ofaginzy redux
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'm away from HDAS today, but surely the cited remark about "literary distribution" should refer to the baroque "ofaginzy" rather than the once common "ofay."
>
>   My impression is that "ofaginzy," like so many exotic-looking slang terms, was never much used by anybody. In this case, IIRC, NY and Chicago jazz musicians of the '40s were the primary culprits.
>
>   I wonder of the word was partially based on "guinzo, ginzo," an Italian.
>
>   JL
>
>   "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson"
> Subject: Re: Ofaginzy redux
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I have found one reference which gives a pronunciation for "ofaginzy". It
> is an English-Chinese on-line dictionary apparently produced by and for
> Chinese:
>
> http://www.iukm.com/Dictionary/?Words=ofaginzy
>
> The pronunciation is given as "OH-fuh-jinzy" OR "oh-FAY-jinzy". Took me a
> while to decipher the weird phonetic symbols.
>
> How did the authors of the site find these pronunciations? Are they
> reliable at all? I don't know.
>
> [The translation seems reasonable: something like "American slang (black
> persons' word): white person(s)" according to my primitive understanding.]
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.22/739 - Release Date: 3/29/2007 1:36 PM
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and
> always stay connected to friends.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
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

Dope wil get you through times of no money better than money will get
you through times of no dope.
-----
                                         -Free-Wheeling Franklin

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