[Ads-l] -ski, whatevski(s), broski

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Mon Jul 5 19:37:58 UTC 2021


Here is a June 1901 citation showing the -sky suffix used productively
(and clumsily).

Date: June 27, 1901
Newspaper: The Petaluma Argus
Newspaper Location: Petaluma, California
Article: Local Notes
Quote Page 4, Column 3
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80854645/takeadrinksky/

[Begin excerpt - double-check for typos]
Jawbreaking Russian Siberian names, thanks to the school boys' trip
around the world, are becoming more familiar to our reading public.
For instance, Twodrinksforakopecsky, Chalkitdownsky,
Nickelintheslotsky, Steemupsky, Thatsonmesky, Takeadrinksky, and
Herewegosky.--Healdsburg Tribune.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Mon, Jul 5, 2021 at 3:04 PM Joe Salmons
<000008f18d0e0c45-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Thanks … earliest date I’ve seen yet!
>
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Date: Monday, July 5, 2021 at 2:02 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: -ski, whatevski(s), broski
> Following Ben's lead. In 1887 an anarchist was referred to by the
> punning name "Bombski".
>
> Date: May 16, 1887
> Newspaper: The Winfield Daily Telegram
> Newspaper Location:
> Article: A Traitor To His Leader
> Author: Winfield, Kansas
> Quote Page 2, Column 3
> Database: Newspapers.com
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80851155/bombski-ski-suffix/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> A TRAITOR TO HIS LEADER.
>
> Boss Anarchist: "Hello, Bombski, you look flushed and excited. Some
> new effort against the oppressors?"
> Anarchist: "I have been down street here helping to put out a fire."
> Boss Anarchist (excitedly): "Heavens, have you turned traitor? Are you
> too, an enemy of our great movement? Can it be pos--"
> Anarchist: "The fire was in a beer saloon."
> Boss Anarchist: "Why in thunder didn't you let me know about it in
> time to go along? You're a nice sort of friend of the cause, you
> are?''
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Mon, Jul 5, 2021 at 11:28 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Green's Dictionary of Slang has the following citation under "-ski" ("a sfx
> > added to names in humorous imitation of Russian; a general intensifier"):
> >
> > https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/cvwly3a
> > 1901 Salt Lake Herald 5 Aug. 3/4: 'ree lunchovitch and drinksies for all!'
> > Captain Fatwad declared.
> >
> > ...but on closer inspection that should actually be "drinkskies." The
> > article and accompanying illustration have some other mock-Russian
> > examples, including "I brought a bombski with me but they took it awayski,"
> > "Let me get a snapshotski of him," and even a baby greeting the czar with
> > "goo-ski."
> >
> > https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80835147/drinkskies/
> >
> > --bgz
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Jul 5, 2021 at 10:52 AM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > And HDAS has a cite from 1902 with the spelling “buttinsky” (a reference
> > > to someone being a member of “the Buttinsky Family”).
> > >
> > > LH
> > >
> > > > On Jul 5, 2021, at 10:43 AM, Joe Salmons <
> > > 000008f18d0e0c45-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > In fact, buttinski may be the oldest really widespread one, judging from
> > > NGramViewer … it’s defined in a business article from 1909, link below.
> > > Green’s Dictionary of Slang (which has it starting as a campus thing) and
> > > looking very productive (darnfoolski, runski, toughsky titsky) in the early
> > > 20th c. Learn something every day.
> > > > Thanks, everybody!
> > > > Joe
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > https://www.google.com/books/edition/Business_Philosopher/HHBMAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22buttinsky%22&pg=PA16&printsec=frontcover
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > > Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> > > > Date: Monday, July 5, 2021 at 9:36 AM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Subject: Re: -ski, whatevski(s), broski
> > > > If I may be a buttinsky....
> > > > SG
> > > > ________________________________
> > > > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > > Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > > > Sent: Monday, July 5, 2021 10:32 AM
> > > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > > Subject: Re: -ski, whatevski(s), broski
> > > >
> > > > A 1978 hit from an SNL episode is the earliest cite in Jon’s HDAS.  I
> > > assume that “brewski” was the clear sponsor of both “broski” and “bluntski”
> > > on phonological and semantic grounds respectively.
> > > >
> > > > LH
> > > >
> > > >> On Jul 5, 2021, at 9:33 AM, Joe Salmons <
> > > 000008f18d0e0c45-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> Brewski may well be the oldest one of the set, yeah, though I don’t
> > > have any evidence on that, but it’s clearly become at least somewhat
> > > productive.
> > > >>
> > > >> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > > Alan Knutson <boris1951 at CHARTER.NET>
> > > >> Date: Monday, July 5, 2021 at 8:32 AM
> > > >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > >> Subject: Re: -ski, whatevski(s), broski
> > > >> Considering your location, I would have thought you had heard of a
> > > brewski?
> > > >>
> > > >> Sent from Mail for Windows 10
> > > >>
> > > >> From: Joe Salmons
> > > >> Sent: Monday, July 5, 2021 8:17 AM
> > > >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > >> Subject: -ski, whatevski(s), broski
> > > >>
> > > >> SURELY somebody on this list has written about the -ski derivational
> > > suffix. I’ve heard/seen it in the two forms in the subject line – see
> > > ‘whatevs’ and ‘bro’ -- and Urban Dictionary points to broader use (“time
> > > for a bluntski”, etc.) I’m curious about how productive it is and what the
> > > origins might be. Intuitively, I could see some kind of Mock Slavic thing
> > > going on, but don’t know how to get evidence for that. Looking for
> > > basically anything on this one.
> > > >> Thanks,
> > > >> Joe
> > > >>
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list