ciggieboo (unverified 1957) was Re: abreevs

[Jonathan Lighter]

The 10,000 Google hits on "arky malarky" (sic) show that it often means
"nonsensical
discussion of the story of Noah's ark."  Conceivably that was the origin.

JL

On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: ciggieboo (unverified 1957) was Re: abreevs
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> HDAS has plain old "ciggie" from 1915.
>
> "Arkus-malarkus" must be based on Damon Runyon's "phonus-balonus."  I've
> never seen it before, but Carl Sandburg used "arkymalarky" in 1936.
>
> "Ackamarackus" has had a very minor currency since being popularized or
> invented by Runyon about 1933-34.  I find "ackamaracka" in lists of slang
> only, where it has been rather popular among editors.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 11:42 AM, Garson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:
>
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      ciggieboo (unverified 1957) was Re: abreevs
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > Nobody here checks HDAS. I can dig it. I'll figure out a way to get
> those
> > > decades back. (Barry, I feel your pain.)
> > >
> > > The form "ciggie-boo" [sic] has four exx. from 1958 to 1988. The
> earliest
> > is
> > > from Britain, home of the WASP.
> > >
> > > Updates,  anyone? ...
> >
> > 1957 [unverified], The Southerner by Douglas Kiker, GB Page 137,
> > Rinehart, New York. (Google Books snippet; WorldCat agrees with date;
> > Not verified on paper)
> >
> > He left them and sauntered back to me.
> > "Have you got a ciggieboo, old trooper?" he asked lightly.
> >
> >
> > 1958 [unverified], After long silence by Robert Gutwillig, GB Page
> > 201, Little, Brown, Boston. (Google Books snippet; WorldCat agrees
> > with date; Not verified on paper)
> >
> > "A ciggy-boo, darlin'."
> >
> >
> > Here is an instance of rhyming slang for ciggie in 1946:
> >
> > Cite: 1946, September 7, The New Yorker, page 25. (New Yorker online
> > archive)
> >
> > I keep myself down to words like 'arkus-malarkus' and 'ciggie-biggies.'
> >
> > Garson
> >
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