...so no one is going to comment on the original post which calls making one Spanish word into one English word a contraction? Oh, wait, I think I just did...
Actually, Myridon, I read it as his calling "druthers" a contraction (which it is) and pointing out that this also occurs in other languages, such as Spanish, which it does. The word "juzgado" (literally "judged" = "court"; "jail" is "carcel") is pronounced "hoos-gah-tho". It is very common in all places Spanish is spoken for the "th" sound (letter D) to be dropped, forming a diphthong "ao" or "ow". "Hoosegow" is exactly the phonemic equivalent of "juzga'o", with the exception of the placement of stress on the first syllable rather than on the second (or diphthong).
It's simultaneously a contraction and a borrowing. Hoosegow, whilst it has more letters than juzgado, has one fewer syllables and is phonemically a contraction of sorts.
I'm not sure, Pook, that this is truly borrowing. The word doesn't mean the same thing in both languages. I think of borrowing as words such as tortilla, tacos, burritos etc. that "generally" (this is commentary on Mexican cuisine made in America - bleh!) refer to the same foods (as an example) in both languages. :0)
