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What dude, punk, hokum, and twerp have in common
The New York Times explores Daniel Cassidy's project of tracing the Irish origins of New York City slang:
[Mr. Cassidy] pulled out his pocket Irish dictionary and began pointing out words that he said had been Americanized by the millions of Irish immigrants who turned New York into an extension of the Ghaeltacht, or Irish-speaking regions of Ireland...
"Snazzy" comes from "snasach," which means polished, glossy or elegant. The word "scram" comes from "scaraim," meaning "I get away." The word "swell" comes from "sóúil," meaning luxurious, rich and prosperous, and "sucker" comes from "sáchúr," or, loosely, fat cat.
There is "Say uncle!" ("anacal" means mercy), "razzmatazz," and "malarkey," and even expressions like "gee whiz" and "holy cow" and "holy mackerel" are Anglicized versions of Irish expressions, he said. So are "doozy," "hokum," "humdinger," "jerk," "punk," "swanky," "grifter," "bailiwick," "sap," "mug," "wallop," "helter-skelter," "shack," "shanty," "slob," "slacker" and "knack." (ELHAM)
November 12, 2007
