Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!qumix!amdahl!gam From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (Gordon A. Moffett) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: ``bozo'' -- an etymology Message-ID: <315@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Oct-84 02:25:11 EDT Article-I.D.: amdahl.315 Posted: Wed Oct 3 02:25:11 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 4-Oct-84 05:53:48 EDT Distribution: net Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 24 ... so I was just flipping pages thru the dictionary, and came across ``bozo'' (I was in the `B's then); the given etymology was "unknown". Imagine so popular a word and Websters says it doesn't know where it came from? After looking thru two language books I found an etymology for ``bozo'': "from Sp. dial. `boso' (from `vosotros') = you (pl.), which resembles a direct address" [such as `you guys']. The definition given is "A man; fellow; guy; esp. a large, rough man with more brawn than brains." (this is from 1960). The earliest written reference noted in this "Dictionary of American Slang" (Wentworth & Flexner) is in 1934. During WWII it was popular in the service; in fact, definition 2 here is "An army recruit". It isn't clear how ``Bozo the Clown'' got his name out of all this. -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,amd,nsc}!amdahl!gam [ The opinons expressed in this article are completely fictious. Any similarity between these opinions and the opinions of any persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. ]