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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
When I was a boy in London ‘tosh’, or 'tosher', was a name we used to call out to one another if proper names were not known. “Hey, tosh – what’s the time?” for example. But although the term was probably derogatory we didn’t object to it. Perhaps the original meaning had been forgotten by then! I certainly didn’t know it at the time. But much later I read an extremely good tale (by Macdonald Hastings, I think, possibly called ‘A glimpse of Arcadia’) involving ‘toshers’. TOSHER: (from http://www.beerguide.co.uk/quote.htm which has some other interesting stuff too):
‘The sewer-hunters were formerly, and indeed still are, called by the name of toshers, the articles which they pick up in the course of their wanderings along the shore being known among themselves by the general term tosh, a word more particularly applied by them to anything made of copper. These toshers may be seen, especially on the Surrey side of the Thames, habited in long greasy velveteen coats furnished with pockets of vast capacity, and their nether-limbs encased in dirty canvas trowsers, and any old slops of shoes that may be fit only for wading through the mud.’ (Henry Mayhews London Labour and the London Poor 1861)
One who, on the Thames, steals copper from ships' bottoms (Admiral William Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book 1867)It seems amazing that the name should have hung on so long in schoolboy vernacular. In fact, toshers would climb up the sewers in search of valuable metals and coins. This heavier material would be caught in pockets in the sewer floor and toshers would have their own secret spots where they knew they stood a chance of a lucky find. This was quite a dangerous occupation as they could be swept away and drowned if a sluice was opened while they were still underground.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 171
member
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member
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 171 |
The definition of "tosher" calls to mind the equally unpleasant occupation of the "purefinders" of 18th century London. As described in Hughes'"Fatal Shore", about the settling of Australia, these enterprising folks earned a livlihood by wandering the streets of London gathering dog turds (Hughes' termnology), which they sold to the tanners for their tannic acid content.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,542 Likes: 1
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,542 Likes: 1 |
pishposh <> 1200
pish posh <> 6180
pish-posh <> 6860
pishtosh <> 59
pish tosh <> 1150
pish-tosh <> 765
and to complete the triad:
pishtush <> 448
pish tush <> 2170
pish-tush <> 1980
and even
pish and tush <>44
Whatever all that proves.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,661 |
I think you *guys need some help here...
... isn't mish-mosh a form of this, as well?
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
mish-mosh
Mish-mosh is what somebody looks like after a night in the mosh pit.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
mishmosh is a Yddish word meaning a mixture. Interestingly enough, onelook returns "did you mean mishmash?" But unless I am mistaken the discussion of mishmosh in "The Joys of Yiddish states explicitly that a person who uses mishmash is a goy who is trying to appear Yiddish-eloquent when quite the opposite is true. Unfortunately, like the rest of my library, Rosten's book resided in an unmarked box either in the garage or in our storage unit. And since we have over 125 boxes of books, it will remain inaccessible until after we move. I hope to turn one of the four bedrooms into a library, but I don't believe even that will have room for the 5000 or so books we have. I suspect that the McDowell County Library is gonna get a very large donation. But NOT my Philip Jose Farmer collection!
TEd
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1 |
Granted I'm way out West, but the phrase in my family was "pishtish." It clearly bore the same meaning: "bullpucky!"
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
...is pishposh/tosh related to poppycock?
"Oh, pishposh!"
"Oh, poppycock!"
Welllll ... pishtosh is dismissive as in "Now you're just being silly." Or, that you are adding something that has no relevancey to the discussion.
Whereas poppycock is a more cutting statement that you talking bullsh*t.
Lestaways® that's the way I figure it.
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