Fw: muck-a-muck = bigwig (1883)

[Scott Tyler]

Interesting word and usage.
Perhaps there is two or more muck-a-mucks the
East coast and West coast.  The rowdy, the food, the grand.
There are two Shakers or more Shaker groups in the US and Canada. East coast
Shakers are a Quaker religious group, and West coast Shakers are a messianic
Native American group which combined Indian and Christian beliefs.  Then
there are the movers and shakers, and the risk takers.
Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Robertson" <ddr11 at UVIC.CA>
To: <CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 10:38 PM
Subject: Fw: muck-a-muck = bigwig (1883)


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Benjamin Zimmer" <bgzimmer at rci.rutgers.edu>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2004 12:14 PM
> Subject: muck-a-muck = bigwig (1883)
>
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
> > header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU>
> > Subject:      muck-a-muck = bigwig (1883)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
> >
> > muck-a-muck (OED3 has 1902 for the 'bigwig' sense - contracting the
> > earlier "high-muck-a-muck", reanalyzed as containing the element
"high"):
> >
> > --------
> > 1883 _(Reno) Daily Nevada State Journal_ 6 May 2/2 They are not
satisfied
> > with the position of Division Superintendent of creation but they want
to
> > be Most Worthy High Grand Muck-a-Muck of the entire ranch or their lives
> > are gloomy fizzles.
> > --------
> > 1885 _(Fort Wayne, Indiana) Daily Gazette_ 1 Dec. 6/5 Here I have been
> > snubbed on the congressional committee to the funeral and now you go and
> > let Mont Hamilton parade as the big muck-a-muck of my own Jeffersonians.
> > --------
> > 1894 _Portsmouth (Ohio) Times_ 6 Oct. 3/2 The Hon. James Weaver, chief
> > muck-a-muck of the colored K. of P.'s ... went to Chillicothe Monday
> > morning to "do" the races.
> > --------
> > 1895 _Syracuse (NY) Herald_ 6 Feb. 1/1 (heading) Mayor Strong a
> > muck-a-muck indeed.
> > --------
> > 1896 _(Honolulu) Hawaiian Gazette 27 March 7/3 We are the brains, the
> > muck-a-muck; let unbelievers quake.
> > --------
> >
> > The 1883 cite ("High Grand Muck-a-Muck") is perhaps transitional, since
it
> > still has the element "high" ("Grand High Muck-a-Muck" appears
elsewhere).
> >
> > Didn't find any early uses of "mucky-muck" in the 'bigwig' sense, but I
> > did find the following cite where it seems to mean 'ragtag' or
'riffraff',
> > suggesting a simple reduplication of English "muck(y)":
> >
> > --------
> > 1885 _Davenport (Iowa) Daily Gazette_ 21 March 2/4 If such another dive
> > was not to be erected, it would be a credit to that neighborhood, as the
> > one just departed was but the rendezvous of toughs and a general
> > mucky-muck crowd.
> > --------
> >
> >
> > --Ben Zimmer
>
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