9/17/2023 0 Comments British slang for idiot![]() The Simpsons’ “Cletus the Slack-jawed Yokel” may have originally been a Reuben, which is to say he was a Richard, which is to say he was a … Jacob? The origin of yokel, first attested in the 1810s, is unclear, but one suggestion is that it’s borrowed from the German Jokel, a disparaging diminutive of Jakob, used as a stereotypical name for a farmer. It's no coincidence Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel lives on Rural Route 9. A 1702 use in Irishman Richard Steele’s comedy The Funeralmakes the meaning of hick quite clear: “Richard Bumpkin! Ha! a perfect Country Hick.” 11. While hick is primarily found in American English today, it’s found in the written record as early as 1565. Similar to Reuben/rube is hick, another derogatory term for a “provincial country person” that comes from a pet form of the name Richard. The derogatory Reuben is found in print in 1855 rube, in 1891. Speaking of rubes, this bumpkin brethren comes from a shortened form of the given name Reuben, a biblical name commonly found among those who lived in the countryside. The word might be from the Dutch boomken, “little tree,” or bommekijn, “little barrel,” which resemble stumps. This word for a “rustic rube” first insulted Dutchmen as short, stumpy people. ![]() ![]() One suggests bozo comes from the Spanish bozal, a pejorative term used for slaves who couldn’t speak Spanish well, hence “stupid” or “simple.” 8. The name Bozo may owe its rise to early 20th-century vaudeville acts, as word researcher Peter Reitan argues, but as for the origin of bozo itself? There are many theories. One of the most famous clowns in American culture was Bozo the Clown. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |