On a previous episode, we discussed the origins of doozy, and boy did we get some responses! Many of you called and wrote to say that the Duesenberg luxury car is the source of the term. While the car’s reputation for automotive excellence may have reinforced the use of term, the problem is that the word doozy appears in print at least as early as 1903. The car, however, wasn’t widely available until about 1920. This is part of a complete episode.
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I think the word comes from the Polish word “duza” which means large. When I remember hearing the word in the 1970’s, it usually meant something especially large or difficult. The appearance of the word in English coincides with a time when many Polish and eastern European immigrants were coming to this country.