Was surprised to find today that a writer didn't understand the word 'hoosegow'. Asked the Mrs, and Liz didn't know it either. Is it not common knowledge? Apparently, it comes from a misheard transcription of Spanish.
This thread is the first time I've ever seen that word.
Was surprised to find today that a writer didn't understand the word 'hoosegow'. Asked the Mrs, and Liz didn't know it either. Is it not common knowledge? Apparently, it comes from a misheard transcription of Spanish.
This thread is the first time I've ever seen that word.
How about “in stir,” you two? I was familiar with “hoosegow” long before I was familiar with that one, I think. (For this experiment, the derivative “stir crazy” doesn’t count.)
Oh, wow -- reading the last part of the Wikipedia article, where it says The phrase has become relatively common in English in half-translated forms such as "Don’t hock me a chainik", really took me back -- my grandparents, whose own parents had spoken mostly just Russian and Yiddish, but my grandparents would still use Yiddish expressions just for the hell of it, would say the Yiddish version of this ALL THE TIME. To my little kid ears, it sounded like "hock me to China," which I never understood ...
Who else still uses any version of ‘calling the kettle black’ - in any language? We used it in English, and still do among ourselves, to mean ‘look at yourself, first’ but recognise not everyone might recognise it has nothing to do with race.
I grew up with the Polish Yiddish version too, which I can’t spell, and which roughly means ‘don’t speak rubbish’ (stop bashing your kettle).
Oh, wow -- reading the last part of the Wikipedia article, where it says The phrase has become relatively common in English in half-translated forms such as "Don’t hock me a chainik", really took me back -- my grandparents, whose own parents had spoken mostly just Russian and Yiddish, but my grandparents would still use Yiddish expressions just for the hell of it, would say the Yiddish version of this ALL THE TIME. To my little kid ears, it sounded like "hock me to China," which I never understood ...
Was surprised to find today that a writer didn't understand the word 'hoosegow'. Asked the Mrs, and Liz didn't know it either. Is it not common knowledge? Apparently, it comes from a misheard transcription of Spanish.
This thread is the first time I've ever seen that word.
I know it from the lyrics of Give It Away by Red Hot Chili Peppers:
I'm a low brow but I rock a little know how No time for the piggies or the hoosegow
I think you can tell from the way I write that I'm not overly sensitive about much of anything. It isn't a "feeling" of being nitpicked, when it's actually nitpicking. But hey, you do you.
I am at a loss for words — or idioms, for that matter!
Getting back to the thread’s very interesting coverage on how idioms enter our vocabulary, I looked up “bees knees” and found “cat’s meow”and so many other expressions. There was a prohibition era drink called the bees knees — gin, lemon juice, and honey.
Further on terms for lockup: In Guys and Dolls, there's the line "when you see a mug, lately out of the jug." Some college-age actors were miming this as a reference to drinking, but nope.
I have to air a pet peeve of mine. I watch NCAA softball from time to time and I cannot get used to referring to a highly-talented softball player as being "a real stud". Maybe people had the same reaction when "guys" became gender neutral.
Was surprised to find today that a writer didn't understand the word 'hoosegow'. Asked the Mrs, and Liz didn't know it either. Is it not common knowledge? Apparently, it comes from a misheard transcription of Spanish.
This thread is the first time I've ever seen that word.
Was surprised to find today that a writer didn't understand the word 'hoosegow'. Asked the Mrs, and Liz didn't know it either. Is it not common knowledge? Apparently, it comes from a misheard transcription of Spanish.
This thread is the first time I've ever seen that word.
Me too.
I am a fan of TCM, and love watching gangster movies of the ‘40-‘50s — perhaps because I remember seeing them as B movies on the double feature offerings at the time. For less than $1, we also got Newsreels, cartoons, coming attractions, etc. I remember the house lights coming on as an intermission for Red Cross and War Bond drives. Collection cans similar to church baskets circulated throughout the theatre.
Film noir was at its peak
Oh, hoosegow was the standard reference to the clink back in the day.
Origin: This phrase originated from track and field races and was known since the early 1900s. It refers to athletes starting the race before the gun was fired (which was used to signal to start of the race). This phrase was preceded in America by “beat the gun”. Source: theidioms.com
Origin: This phrase originated from track and field races and was known since the early 1900s. It refers to athletes starting the race before the gun was fired (which was used to signal to start of the race). This phrase was preceded in America by “beat the gun”. Source: theidioms.com
Wait, how do people start races now? As recently as my H.S track days (ok, not that recent), there was still a starter pistol.
I wondered if jumping the gun might have something to do with edgy sheep being over-eager to escape the shearing sheds…
The fastest shearers are known as ‘gun shearers’. The narrow gangways along which the sheep are led are known as ‘races’, and help to keep the nervous sheep focussed and in the right place. Nervous sheep and goats jump and clamber to escape from the race, literally running over the backs of other sheep in there in their attempts to climb over the walls or get to the ends, or even trying to bolt from the gun’s hands. Quite a sight - the shearing competitions at an agricultural show are an education. (Tom Robert’s painting, Shearing the Rams. There’s a larger view showing some of them struggling)
I still use the phrase “penny wise and pound foolish”..sometimes I have to explain.