[Ads-l] 23-Skidoo

Tue Feb 23 19:02:13 UTC 2016

Here is an instance of "skidoo" in October 1903 being used as an
imperative meaning "leave", I think.

Date: October 4, 1903
Newspaper: The Courier-Journal
Newspaper Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Article: Soldiers On Duty Do Not Wear Suspenders
Section 3, Quote Page 2, Column 6
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
"You can get these at the guardhouse, young feller, when you get ready
to leave here. Now, skidoo!"
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 1:40 PM, Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: 23-Skidoo
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Most of the earliest examples I could find relate to fast moving boats and =
> cars.
>
> "Skidoo" was the name of a racing sailboat that raced on Long Island Sound =
> as early as 1901.
>
> A. F. Aldridge=2C The Yachting Record: Summaries of All Races=0A=
> Sailed on New York Harbor=2C Long Island Sound and Off Newport in 1901=2C N=
> ew=0A=
> York=2C Thomson and Company=2C page 16 (Indian Harbor Yacht Club=2C Spring =
> Race=2C=0A=
> Thursday=2C May 30=2C 1901).
>
> "Skidoo=2C" in the sense of "leave quickly=2C" appears as early as 1904 (Th=
> e Evening World (New York)=2C April 18 1904=2C page 10).
>
> "Skidoo wagon" (The Evening World=2C May 11=2C 1904=2C Final Results Editio=
> n=2C page 14)=2C "Skidoodle wagon" (The St. Louis Republic=2C July 25=2C 19=
> 04=2C page 6=2C column 6)=2C and "Skedaddle wagon" (Saint Paul Globe=2C Nov=
> ember 27=2C 1904=2C page 5=2C column 6) were slang terms for automobiles in=
>  1904.
>
> I have a collection of citations and examples for "skidoo=2C" "twenty-three=
> =2C" and "twenty-three=2C skidoo!" in my blog post:
>
> http://esnpc.blogspot.com/2015/02/skedaddle-skidoodle-skidoo-vanishing.html
> Barry Popik found "Twenty-three" in March 1899 (The Morning=0A=
> Herald (Lexington=2C Kentucky)=2C March 17=2C 1899=2C page 4) and "23-skido=
> o" in the title of a Vaudeville song in April 1906 (New York Clipper=2C Vol=
> ume 4=2C Number 9=2C April 21=2C 1906=2C page 258).  Twenty-three and skido=
> o had been used in association with each other before April 1906=2C but not=
>  in the now-familiar format.
>
> Surprisingly=2C perhaps=2C "twenty-three" may be a reference to the last sc=
> ene in A Tale of Two Cities.
>
>> Date: Tue=2C 23 Feb 2016 12:22:43 -0500
>> From: wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
>> Subject: Re: 23-Skidoo
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>=20
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------=
> ------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: 23-Skidoo
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>>=20
>> HDAS found no evidence of "skidoo" prior to ca.1904.
>>=20
>> I suspect the phrase came from the vaudeville stage.
>>=20
>> JL
>>=20
>> On Tue=2C Feb 23=2C 2016 at 11:32 AM=2C Baker=2C John <JBAKER at stradley.co=
> m> wrote:
>>=20
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > -----------------------
>> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster:       "Baker=2C John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
>> > Subject:      Re: 23-Skidoo
>> >
>> > -----------------------------------------------------------------------=
> --------
>> >
>> > This seems to be a combination of several plays that originally were
>> > publis=3D
>> > hed separately.  For the play that uses "skidoo=2C" the copyright date =
> is
>> > 190=3D
>> > 9.
>> >
>> >
>> > John Baker
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behal=
> f
>> > Of=3D
>> >  Peter Morris
>> > Sent: Tuesday=2C February 23=2C 2016 11:23 AM
>> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> > Subject: 23-Skidoo
>> >
>> > Okay=2C thanks for the information. It's a piece of uinlikely=3D20
>> > folk etymology. No help there.=3D20
>> >
>> > However=2C here is a use of Skidoo in a play dated 1807.=3D20
>> > And that's a new edition - perhaps it was also in the older=3D20
>> > editions. First published 1759.
>> >
>> > "The fat's in the fire=2C right enough. Skidoo for me"
>> >
>> > http://tinyurl.com/zbr3n3x
>> >
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>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >
>>=20
>>=20
>>=20
>> --=20
>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is=2C you can't handle the tru=
> th."
>>=20
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