Comments on: Advice to the Etymologist: Never Lose Heart, or, The Origin of the Word Galoot http://blog.oup.com/2008/07/galoot/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Sat, 25 May 2013 11:23:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Chris Linskaill http://blog.oup.com/2008/07/galoot/#comment-334110 Chris Linskaill Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:05:03 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=2005#comment-334110 I was recently at a football (soccer) match between Glasgow Celtic and Hibernians of Edinburgh. Celtic have a 6'4" tall, lanky, player, who has a very particular way of moving. Although effective, he often seems unintentionally to end up on his rear-end (here his "arse"). "You big galoot!" thought I. I've spent half a century thinking this was a peculiarly Scottish term of art, such as "tube" (pronounced "teeoooob") or "glaikit" or "eegit". It has the correct long vowel vocalisation favoured by Scots, and in my youth, in Edinburgh, it was a common street term. Given that Scots and Dutch have much in common linguistically, I wonder whether "galoot" somehow passed into the spoken language more strongly north of the border than south? I was recently at a football (soccer) match between Glasgow Celtic and Hibernians of Edinburgh. Celtic have a 6’4″ tall, lanky, player, who has a very particular way of moving. Although effective, he often seems unintentionally to end up on his rear-end (here his “arse”). “You big galoot!” thought I. I’ve spent half a century thinking this was a peculiarly Scottish term of art, such as “tube” (pronounced “teeoooob”) or “glaikit” or “eegit”. It has the correct long vowel vocalisation favoured by Scots, and in my youth, in Edinburgh, it was a common street term. Given that Scots and Dutch have much in common linguistically, I wonder whether “galoot” somehow passed into the spoken language more strongly north of the border than south?

]]> By: Monthly etymology gleanings for December 2012 | OUPblog http://blog.oup.com/2008/07/galoot/#comment-329720 Monthly etymology gleanings for December 2012 | OUPblog Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:32:14 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=2005#comment-329720 [...] galoot and Catalan golut.  More than four years ago, I wrote a triumphant post on the origin of Engl. galoot. The reason for triumph was that I was the first to discover the [...] [...] galoot and Catalan golut.  More than four years ago, I wrote a triumphant post on the origin of Engl. galoot. The reason for triumph was that I was the first to discover the [...]

]]> By: coberly http://blog.oup.com/2008/07/galoot/#comment-315418 coberly Wed, 28 Nov 2012 18:56:20 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=2005#comment-315418 hope you are still kicking. i enjoyed "galoot" , but i have never heard the word used in an abusive sense. it simply means big guy, always said in a friendly way to my knowledge. i'd be inclined to suspect something like "wearer of gallic shoes" if that's what a recruit looks like to a sailor or marine in the 18th centur. (gallic shoes = galoshes) and to convince you i am completely irresponsible: cowboy has nothing to do with cows or boys, except by the confusion of Americans who spoke a new england dialect when they encountered Caballeros in the west. i would of course defer to your scholarship, but like you I tend not to take dictionary etymologies very seriously. have you heard the ones that say "honky" comes from "hungarian." apparently these people have never seen a big white bird that is almost as silly as a domestic turkey, which is another big white bird of remarkable stupidity. hope you are still kicking.

i enjoyed “galoot” , but i have never heard the word used in an abusive sense. it simply means big guy, always said in a friendly way to my knowledge. i’d be inclined to suspect something like “wearer of gallic shoes” if that’s what a recruit looks like to a sailor or marine in the 18th centur. (gallic shoes = galoshes)

and to convince you i am completely irresponsible: cowboy has nothing to do with cows or boys, except by the confusion of Americans who spoke a new england dialect when they encountered Caballeros in the west.

i would of course defer to your scholarship, but like you I tend not to take dictionary etymologies very seriously. have you heard the ones that say “honky” comes from “hungarian.” apparently these people have never seen a big white bird that is almost as silly as a domestic turkey, which is another big white bird of remarkable stupidity.

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