Off the ol' hookeroo

Wed Apr 28 19:59:56 UTC 2010

Yeah, _*fingereroo_ and  _*smackereroo_ are way too hard to say.

Sometimes there's a simple suffix, sometimes a blend.

JL

On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 3:53 PM, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Off the ol' hookeroo
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In Nathaniel West's _Day of the Locust_ (1939), the tough-talking dwarf Abe
> fumes, "So she thinks she can give me the fingeroo . . . ."  There, of
> course, it's just -oo that needs to be affixed.
>
> --Charlie
>
>
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:47:35 -0400
> >From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> (on behalf of
> Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
> >)-------------------------------------
> >
> >The evidence in HDAS suggests that gossip columnist Walter Winchell
> >popularized the "-eroo" suffix around 1930-31.
> >
> >"-Erino" was similarly used from the 1890s on. So "-eroo" presumably
> >originated as a variation, suggested (again presumably) by the fanciful
> >sound of "kangaroo" and "buckaroo."
> >
> >My own usage sense is that the quality added by "-eroo" is  intended to be
> >one of cynical jocularity. The addition of "the old..." increases it.
> >
> >I think the practice of generating items like "hookeroo" in this way is
> >pretty old-fashioned.
> >
> >JL
> >
> >
> >On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 1:23 PM, Lisa Galvin <lisagal23 at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Lisa Galvin <lisagal23 at HOTMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: Off the ol' hookeroo
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> =20
> >> Yes=2C I understand the overall meaning of the specific example I
> gave=3B
> >>  =
> >> what I was trying to figure out was the whole "ol' --eroo" thing=2C like
> >> wh=
> >> ere that came from=2C or if anyone knows when/how it started.=20
> >>
> >> =20
> >>
> >> If someone asks you what is the difference between "off the hook" and
> "off
> >> =
> >> the ol' hookeroo"=2C what would you say?=20
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>                                                  =20
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> =20
> >>
> >> > Date: Wed=2C 28 Apr 2010 13:09:17 -0400
> >> > From: Berson at ATT.NET
> >> > Subject: Re: Off the ol' hookeroo
> >> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> >=20
> >> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------=
> >> ------
> >> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> > Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >> > Subject: Re: Off the ol' hookeroo
> >> >
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> >> ------
> >> >=20
> >> > I suppose the meaning is clear: Out of a difficult situation=3B off
> the
> >> s=
> >> pot.
> >> >=20
> >> > Presumably from "off the hook" -- OED hook n.=2C sense 15.f. "off the
> >> > hook: out of a difficult situation." The opposite of "on the hook"
> >> > -- sense 2.b. "on the hook: in various fig. uses=2C e.g. ensnared=2C
> in
> >> > the power (of someone)=3B in one's grasp."
> >> >=20
> >> > If the question is "where does *hookeroo* come from?"=2C perhaps
> "hook"
> >> > plus the "factitious slang suffix" (OED) -eroo.
> >> >=20
> >> > Joel
> >> >=20
> >> > At 4/28/2010 12:29 PM=2C Lisa Galvin wrote:
> >> > >A friend of mine is a translator=2C and now and then she asks me
> >> > >questions about particularly troublesome (meaning difficult to look
> >> > >up=2C find online=2C etc.) English expressions she is faced with
> >> > >translating into Japanese. Usually I can come up with answers for
> >> > >her=2C along with some history and other examples=2C using my own
> >> > >knowledge and a little research=2C but trying to nail this one down
> >> > >got me stuck.
> >> > >
> >> > >This is a Peanuts comic where Lucy and Linus are having the
> >> > >following exchange:
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
> >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> >>
> >>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> >> =3D
> >> > >
> >> > >LUCY: How sould you like to see a list of things I want for
> Christmas?
> >> > >
> >> > >LINUS: Absolutely not!! I want my gift to you this year to be a
> >> complete=
> >>  and
> >> > >delightful surprise.
> >> > >
> >> > >LUCY: What a lovely generous thought...
> >> > >
> >> > >(and off she goes...)
> >> > >
> >> > >LINUS: Off the Ol' Hookeroo!!
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
> >=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> >>
> >>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
> >> =3D=3D
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >Of course the <ol'> + <*eroo> construction is a way of
> >> > >colloqializing the expression "off the hook"=2C but does anyone know
> >> > >when that started or how to better define the construction and its
> >> > >nuance of meaning?
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >It's a tough one to Google (this one kept getting me "did you mean=2C
> >> > >'old hooker'?" Uh=2C no=2C no I did not).
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >I know we have "The ol' switcheroo"=2C any other examples you can
> think
> >> =
> >> of?
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >Oh=2C and just for the record=2C she ended up translating this line
> as
> >> > >something like "Good=2C I'm safe for now".
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >Lisa Galvin
> >> > >
> >> > >Seattle WA
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >=20
> >>  > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>                                          =
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >--
> >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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