Alouette from Nelson, New Hampshire, grew up using the term hosey in order to claim something, as in I hosey that! The word’s origin is uncertain, although some speculate that hosey derives from holdsie, as in I put a hold on something. Variants include hoosey, hornsey, and honsie. Other expressions to lay claim to something desired include finnie, fin dibs, fin whackie. An article by Horace Reynolds in the journal American Speech lists many more, including this one from Ireland, which expresses not only claimed possession but the new owner’s unwillingness to share any part of it at all: Fen dibs, fen shackies, no dibs, no aikies, no chips, no divvies, and no halveens. This is part of a complete episode.
More from this show
The cardboard cylinder left after the last sheet of toilet, tissue, or wrapping paper comes off the roll has inspired families to make up a lot of names for the tube or the sounds you can make with it. These include oh-ah, oh-ah, drit-drit, dah-dah...
A native Texan says his Canadian wife teases him about his use of hitten for a past participle, as in You have hitten every green light instead of You have hit every green light. Charles Mackay’s 1888 work, A Dictionary of Lowland Scotch, does...