Has anyone ever heard the phrase 'cabbage on'? My father used to use it to be synonymous with 'to bogart' or 'to mooch'. Is this solely Hoosier phrase or is it widely used ?
My dad always used that phrase, along with "bogart"! We are from West Virginia and I've always been curious if it was just a WV thing and where that phrase actually came from...
Quote from urban dictionary, 25th definition:
25. cabbage
To steal; to borrow without asking.
I cabbaged my roommate's beer from the fridge last night.
I've never heard it and to be the 25th entry, it must be rare, but known.
This interests me as well. My father also used the phrase on occasion. I also use it infrequently and I was wondering where it originated. My paternal grandmother's family was from Ohio and Indiana, so the Hoosier thing makes sense to me. We live in Texas and I've never heard anyone else use the phrase except my Dad. Maybe someone will have more information for us.
The OED has:
3. trans. and intr. colloq. gen. To pilfer, purloin; to acquire (property) inappropriately.
1793 M. Pilkington Rosina II. xii. 134, I tells him he has robbed the dead, for he has cabbaged it [sc. a garden] out of one corner of the church-yard.
1795 Parl. Reg. XLII. 446 A new office was to be cabbaged out of the Duke of Portland's, and an obvious diminution of his credit and authority was to be proclaimed.
1836 G. Penny Trad. of Perth 86 One of them cabbaged a bottle of wine from the waiters.
1862 H. Marryat One Year in Sweden II. 387 Steelyards..sent by Gustaf Wasa as checks upon country dealers, who cabbaged, giving short weight.
1946 Life 5 Aug. 45/2, I have cabbaged all my copy paper free at the Sun office since 1906.
1956 H. L. Mencken Minority Rep. 141 The quacks got enormous power out of the process, and in all probability cabbaged most of their victims' property.
1995 W. Carroll Two Wheels to Panama 131/1, I helped tie the bike to a stanchion then cabbaged a..doughnut and bottle of warm cola.
#3 is the last definition of the second verb occurence.
Emmett