Etymology - Wordsmith.org

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#112607 - 09/24/03 11:05 AM Etymology
Scilla stranger Registered: 09/24/03 Posts: 2	I have got a question. Being prone to irritation, I often burst out with words such as 'fiddlesticks!' and phrases (silly as can be, of course) such as 'poppycock and dewberries!' This morning I was practicing my instrument when I made a mistake. I yelled 'fiddlesticks!' and a relation who heard asked if I knew why that word is used as an expostulation, since it means a violin bow. I was immediately curious. This word is used a good deal- And I doubt many people know what it means. I looked it up on the Internet, but only found a few things. Does anyone have a good etymology for it?
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#112608 - 09/24/03 11:17 AM Re: Etymology
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13666	All AHD4 will say is that you're right. http://www.bartleby.com/61/57/F0105700.html
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#112609 - 09/24/03 12:50 PM Re: Etymology
of troy Carpal Tunnel Registered: 10/17/00 Posts: 5400 Loc: rego park	don't ya just love words that have there meaning staring you in the face, and somehow, you missed it? disaster! -- one day, i finally realized, dis- a negative prefix, could mean not (dis obey)/or undone, (disrobe) and aster..stars. a bad outcome, one that was not predicted in some important persons 'star chart'... an unforseen event.. a disaster! isn't self evident that fiddle sticks are bows? and isn't fun to find out some 'self evident' etymologies are that at all --like the stupid psuedo feminists saying herstory for history.. (as if history was his story!) _________________________ my other obsession
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#112610 - 09/24/03 01:21 PM Re: Etymology
AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 6511 Loc: lower upstate New York	Welcome, Scilla! Well, I found this, but it isn't attributed: —fiddlestick (15c., originally "the bow of a fiddle;" meaning "nonsense" is from 1621) http://www.etymonline.com/f2etym.htm
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#112611 - 09/24/03 01:24 PM Re: Etymology
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13666	isn't attributed YCLIUITBAMOED
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#112612 - 09/24/03 01:32 PM Meanwhile, Scilla,
AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 6511 Loc: lower upstate New York	... I also found this: Fiddlesticks: 'It's all fiddlesticks' implies that it is all nonsense.... I can't find a modern origin but, in 1811 "Fiddlestick's end" meant "nothing". The ancient fiddlestick (violin bow) ended in a point, hence, metaphorically, used to express a thing terminating in nothing. http://members.madasafish.com/~jbriggs/book/e & f.htm (both above sources thanks to MaxQ and his magical reference page: http://maxqnz.com/References.html)
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#112613 - 09/24/03 01:38 PM Re: Etymology - tangential
shanks old hand Registered: 03/16/00 Posts: 1004 Loc: London, UK	Dear Scilla On fiddlesticks, I must confess to not knowing why a fiddle's stick should be considered nonsense, but I am reasonably certain that poppycock comes from the Afrikaans (I think the original spelling is paape-kak, or some such) and refers to soft squidgy dung. Don't know if that helps... cheer the sunshine warrior
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#112614 - 09/24/03 01:54 PM Re: Etymology - tangential
AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 6511 Loc: lower upstate New York	Soft squidgy dung I for one will certainly file that away. And it's good to see you, shanks!
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#112615 - 09/24/03 02:26 PM Re: Etymology - tangential
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13666	shanks! Welcome home! Re: Poppycock AHD4 agrees with you: http://www.bartleby.com/61/75/P0447500.html
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#112616 - 09/24/03 02:28 PM Re: Etymology - tangential
Alex Williams Pooh-Bah Registered: 01/05/01 Posts: 1814 Loc: Spam Factory	I've always thought that exclamations like "fiddlesticks" and "shoot!" were substitutions for other, more vulgar, oaths such as f--k and s--t. Likewise darn for damn, heck for hell, gosh for God, etc. They don't have to make any sense, as they're just substitute sounds, such as when "Doctor Evil" in the Austin Powers films says, "Throw me a frickin' bone here, people!"
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