Rosalind from Montgomery, Alabama, says her mother used to scold her for acting like a starnadle fool. The more common version of this term is starnated fool, a term that appears particular to Black English, and appears in the work of such writers as Kiese Laymon, who includes it in his memoir about growing up Black in Mississippi, Heavy (Bookshop|Amazon). The word’s origin is unclear, although it might have evolved from stark naked. This is part of a complete episode.
Another idea, which didn’t occur to me until later, is that “starnated” is just another form of “tarnation,” which is a euphemism of “damnation.” Tarnation possibly has its roots in “eternal” and possibly “infernal” as well as “damnation.” So a “starnated fool” is basically a damned fool or an “eternally damned” or “infernally damned” fool.
An 1875 dictionary of the Sussex dialect from southeastern England gives a colorful glimpse of life there in those days. A beever is “an 11 o’clock luncheon.” In parts of Sussex, a ladybug is variously known as a Bishop Barnaby, a fly-golding, or...
A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, listener says when he was growing up, his family used the word schmutz as a verb. For example, when one parent reminded the other to apply sunscreen to the youngsters, they might say Make sure you schmutz the kids...
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Another idea, which didn’t occur to me until later, is that “starnated” is just another form of “tarnation,” which is a euphemism of “damnation.” Tarnation possibly has its roots in “eternal” and possibly “infernal” as well as “damnation.” So a “starnated fool” is basically a damned fool or an “eternally damned” or “infernally damned” fool.