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stranger
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stranger
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Can anyone help with a question posed to me yesterday... I've been searching all sorts of sites with no luck:
"Who was the original Lulu who spawned the phrase 'It's a Lulu' which is now in the dictionary as slang
for anything or anyone who excels, the best, over the top."
In only got as far as the character created by German playright Frank Wedekind, but no confirmation that the definition was derived from this character. Also, Louise (nicknamed Lulu) Brooks played this character in the silent film "Pandora's Box."
Anyone?
Abbie
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it
so. WS, Hamlet, II.ii.249
,_,
(O,O)
( )
-"-"------------------------
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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lulu
slang (orig. U.S.).
[Of obscure origin.]
A remarkable or wonderful person or thing; freq. used ironically; also attrib.
1886 Lantern (New Orleans) 10 Nov. 6/3 Farrell's two baser was a lu-lu.
the early hyphenated form suggests that maybe this wasn't based on the name. there was an old card game called loo (from lanterloo) in which the ante was called the loo (variant lu) which could be limited or unlimited. there might be some connection (this is a total guess on my part!)
the "two baser" sounds like baseball phraseology - a two-base hit.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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There was a song in the late 1940s about "Lulu"--anyone remember it? Perhaps Tsuwm will use his magic to summon up a link?
Aloha, wow
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addict
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addict
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Posts: 460 |
Hi wow:
My sheet music index (which is very selective) has:
Henderson/Rose/Brown: Don't bring Lulu (1925) and
Warren/Dubin: Lulu's back in town (1935)
and there's the unfinished opera "Lulu" (1929-34) by Alban Berg, based on the dramas by Wedekind that were also the basis of the film Pandora's box.
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member
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member
Joined: Dec 2000
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Here's a lulu of a lateral leap:
tsuwm's mention of a loo being another name for an ante makes me wonder if the UK term for a toilet comes from the same source. My thinking is that the both antes and loos are also referred to as pots (toilet usage from chamber pot, I imagine). I've also heard the slang term for... um... moving one's bowels referred to as "anteing up". Anyone?
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member
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member
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Also:
Does anyone here think there's any connection between "lulu" and "lollapalooza"? Fairly similar phonetically, almost identical in meaning...
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addict
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addict
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Doug - no idea on the answers to your questions, although I'd love to hear the etymology of lollapalooza.
Just posting to comment on the fact that in those two posts you went from journeyman to member - congrats. Seeing that development was a bit like noting the evolution of the use of "thou" in the writing of Donne, only different.
[/mindless ramble]
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Carpal Tunnel
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I believe lallaloosa is corruption of Appaloosa, defined in my dictionary as an Indian horse highly regarded by cowboys. I regret I can't make select,edit,copy, edit paste work to document this. wwh
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I wish I could substantiate the horse connection, but OED says only:
U.S. slang. [Fanciful formation.]
Something outstandingly good of its kind.
1904 ‘H. McHugh’ I'm from Missouri vi. 89 Saturday night we had our final parade with the fireworks finish, and it was a lallapalootza!
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