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stranger
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stranger
Joined: Mar 2004
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Raggedman, are you watching Deadwood on HBO? "Squarehead" has been used on there a few times in reference to a murdered Swedish family.The story takes place in the 1870s, and I think the language reflects usage at that time. This suggests that the word doesn't derive from WW1 military wear.
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Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
Thanks, jheem - Schädel is a word I had not ecountered before. One more for my vocabulary. But at least my first intuition was right for square. 
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 247
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 247 |
But at least my first intuition was right for square.When you start square, you finish square, RhubarbCommando. I haven't been around for awhile, but it's a good way for anyone to start.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
The definition (not my own) I offered in this very thread said that the term is known from the late 19th century and could refer to Scandinavians, too.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
You're welcome. Schädel is cognate with our word skull. Yes, Quadrat means square: two words that come to mind are Quadratmeter 'square meter' )used in measuring houses) and Quadratpapier 'graph paper'.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Welcome upstatekaren. That's a good observation (and quite timely). How did they use the term squarehead in the documentary, or was it in a movie?
(Is HBO just movies? We don't get that here.)
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
enthusiast
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enthusiast
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I had to laugh when I saw the thread title... the term "squarehead" is quite common in the area where I live. It's usually heard as "Dutchy squarehead" and is used to refer to all of the stubborn Pennsylvania Dutchmen (and women, myself included!) who live here in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
But why though, Rapunzel?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 328
enthusiast
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But why though, Rapunzel?
I've always assumed that it referred to our stubborn "block-headedness." But that's just an assumption.
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
I guess it has as much to do with thoughtless racial stereotyping as anything.
Many north-europeans have cranial dimensions that are (more-or-less) equal in yaw, roll and pitch directions (x-threading madly!!)so can be seen as "square" - albeit with rounded corners (and, pedantically-speaking, it would really be a "cube")
but that's how racial stereotyping goes - a rough approximation to a small percentage of the actual reality.
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