DEFINITIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 53

DEFINITIONS.

"Skedaddle" — "Akimbo." — Phil O'Logue writes : " I remember during the years of the American •war, 30 odd years ago, that tins word 'skedaddle' was often in evidence, just as, 10 or 12 years before, the word 'teetotal' cropped up as •word uewly coined, or of new and certainly appropriate me. Ihey were looked upon as Yankee elongations, the former of the word 'scivd' (to ruu away), and the latter of 'total,' taking rank with 'kersmaah,' ' kerflummux,' and such like. ' Scud ' and ' skedaddle' have au obvious connection, or seemed to me then to have, with the Greek 'skedannumi'(todi.-sipate, to disperse in fight, to scatter). The Dumfriesshire use and meaning of the word, quoted iv your columns a fortnight ago, does not disagree with thiacognale Greek word, for Scotch folk, through their learued dominies, weie used to, and did use, iiiiuy words of classical origin nob found in the speech of the peasantry irvKagland. The note on the word 'akimbo' reminds me of an explanation ot it that I once heard a raconteur give to his audience. He called the word " ak-im-bo,' with acceut on the ' ak ' and an extra stroDg accsntuation of the ' bo,' and illustrated Ihe word by folding his arms across his chest. My idea of the pemiuon bad always been, and i 9 yet, that for a woman (I have seen mnny woini-u standing so— fisherwomen beside their ' creels. 'X to ataud 'with her akimbo' she stood with her elbows stuck out, eit.her with her hands resting on her hauuehes, and grasping them, or with her clenched lists strongly set thereon, knuckles inward. Your vote agrees with this.