Bumbershoot, A Canopy of Silk

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hello, this is Glenda Laminak from Culloway, North Carolina.

How are you?

All right, Glenda, welcome to the show.

How are you?

Well, I was just going to share some of my grandmother Hunt’s interesting words.

When I was a child, she would call an umbrella a bummer shoot.

And I just still, I don’t know where she got that from.

But, you know, I would say, well, Grandma, it’s an umbrella.

It isn’t a bumbershoot.

And, you know, she was, she said, oh, yes, no, you know, it’s a bumbershoot to me.

I said, okay.

Bumbershoot, yeah.

Well, Glenda, I wonder where she got that word.

Do you have any idea?

No, because I first heard her use it when I was nine years old.

And she was probably 80 at the time.

Okay.

And I am right at 68 right now.

So, but she was born in Alabama.

She lived in Alabama all of her life.

Okay.

Well, do you know that she’s not the only person who uses the word bumbershoot or who has used the word bumbershoot?

No, I do not.

This is a term that’s been around at least since the 1870s or so.

It might be a combination of umbrella and parachute.

And it’s an interesting word because a lot of people think that it must be a British term, that people associate the term bumbershoot with folks in England.

But the truth is that it is an Americanism.

It started here in this country.

And there’s a writer named Ben Yagoda who’s done some digging on this.

And he found that that in 1939, there were a lot of cartoons involving British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

And in each of those cartoons, he was carrying an umbrella.

And the New York Times kept describing his umbrella as a bumbershoot in quotes.

And they also had in the New York Times in 1939, this editorial talking about how bumbershoot is, get this, a term that drips with poetry and magic.

They called it the mystical name, the children’s name for an umbrella.

So it’s a charming word that’s been around, right?

Yeah, so it’s been around for a long time.

So your grandmother wasn’t the only person who used it.

Well, I think I just might start calling an umbrella a bumper chute just for my grandmother.

So, Martha, you mentioned the silk connection.

The silk connection?

Yeah.

Oh, parachute.

Yeah, yeah.

The chute part may come from parachute, which are often made from silk.

And fine umbrellas were often made from silk.

So both of them have this silk canopy above your head.

So there’s a possibility that the chute part of bumper chute may come from parachute.

Well, that’s very interesting.

And so a question that pops up in your mind is, wait, is parachute that old?

And it is actually that old.

It itself dates from the 1700s.

The Montgolfier brothers who perfected the hot air balloon used parachutes.

So you’re going to start using bumper chute yourself, huh?

I think I probably will.

Absolutely, Glenda.

We endorse it.

My children will say, you know, Mom, what?

In fact, I think the next time I see my son, I’m going to say, well, I made sure to pack a bummer shoot.

Yeah, that way it won’t rain.

You’re just carrying on a family tradition.

That’s all.

Yeah.

Yeah, keep that conversation going, Glenda.

Glenda, thank you so much for your time and your call.

Take care of yourself.

Thank you.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Okay, take care.

Bye-bye.

Thanks.

Bye-bye.

We wouldn’t take umbrage at all if you called our telephone number, 877-929-9673.

That’s toll-free in the United States and Canada, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And if you’re not in those countries, you can actually call us from anywhere in the world on WhatsApp.

Of course, you can always email us, words@waywordradio.org.