I loathe the use of the word 'pooch' to refer to a dog.
To me it is too close to the childish terms 'poop' and 'poo',
and sounds dismissive.
But it has an interesting history.
The Etymological Dictionary Online has informed me
that the word derives from the name that a prospector
in Alaska (called Dick Craine)
gave to his dog, in the belief that it was Tlingit for booze.
It was, however, a shortened corruption of Hoochinoo
"liquor made by Alaskan Indians,"
from the name of a native tribe in Alaska
who distilled a liquor which was a favourite with miners
during the 1898 Klondike gold rush.
Hence the word 'hooch' or 'hootch' to refer to
any home-made (or low-quality) spirit, 'moonshine'.
Well, whaddaya know!
(I once had brief acquaintance
with a playful dog called Brandy –
but he did not give rise to
the generic name for the distilled
fermented uice of the fruit of the vine,
originally known as brandywine.)
No comments:
Post a Comment