Friday, December 05, 2003
It's in the book
Well, whadya know. Last week I made a comment on a forum about how people in St. Louis call certain other people "hoosiers" and it seems to have nothing to do with being from Indiana, and some snarky St. Louisan gave me what-for (something about how there was an influx of people from Indiana at some point, and they liked to plant geraniums in tractor tires in their front yards or some such nonsense). But I suspect that the snarky St. Louisan was wrong about the Indiana Immigration; according to the Dictionary of American Slang:
hoosier n. 1 An incompetent or inexperienced worker; an unworldly person, a rustic, hick or rube; a fool, a dupe. Logger, carnival, circus, and hobo use c1925; archaic. "Hoosier" == a citizen or resident of Indiana is the only nondisparaging use of this word. 2 A new convict or prison guard; a prison visitor. Prison use c1930.
And the related term:
hoosier up 1 To shirk; to malinger; to plot a slowdown of work. 1926: "When a crew of workmen purposely hoosier up on the company, it means... a 'conscious withdrawal of efficiency.'" S.H. Holbrook, Amer. Mercury, Jan., 64.
So there you have it.
Well, whadya know. Last week I made a comment on a forum about how people in St. Louis call certain other people "hoosiers" and it seems to have nothing to do with being from Indiana, and some snarky St. Louisan gave me what-for (something about how there was an influx of people from Indiana at some point, and they liked to plant geraniums in tractor tires in their front yards or some such nonsense). But I suspect that the snarky St. Louisan was wrong about the Indiana Immigration; according to the Dictionary of American Slang:
hoosier n. 1 An incompetent or inexperienced worker; an unworldly person, a rustic, hick or rube; a fool, a dupe. Logger, carnival, circus, and hobo use c1925; archaic. "Hoosier" == a citizen or resident of Indiana is the only nondisparaging use of this word. 2 A new convict or prison guard; a prison visitor. Prison use c1930.
And the related term:
hoosier up 1 To shirk; to malinger; to plot a slowdown of work. 1926: "When a crew of workmen purposely hoosier up on the company, it means... a 'conscious withdrawal of efficiency.'" S.H. Holbrook, Amer. Mercury, Jan., 64.
So there you have it.
permalink posted by The Vintage Reader @ 11:47 PM 
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