Re: The Bogan Commentaries

>From: andrew <hobbit@...>
>The following is a commentary on the Harry/Bogan thread on this list I
>forwarded to my philatelist friend who I suspect is Bogan by osmosis or
>adoption or something.  He's rather a unique person.  Here is an editing
>of his replies.
>
>If you can find where you came in, or who wrote what of these, then you
>are doing better than I am!
[major snippage]

I read the post, and was surprised to discover that the term "redneck" isn't
just confined to the United States and Canada.  And how the term came from
an Afrikaans word for the Boer or white settler of all things!  (The
connection with racism, especially against Africans, must've came along for
the ride.)

Anyway, the use of personal names as slang terms for groups of people.  I'll
try and think of a few:

Hillbilly = a rural person, most appropriately from the Appalachians, thus
the "hill" in the epithet.

Ponce for a male homosexual (in the UK at least), from the name of a
historical figure, Ponce de Leon (was he gay?)

Sheila is an Australian name for a young attractive woman.  Or at least the
female counterpart of a "bloke".

Rudy-poo came from somewhere, but is used a lot by the pro wrestler "Stone
Cold" Steve Austin; the more complete form is "rudy poo candy ass".

The recent thread about John Doe and Jane Doe of course.  See also "average
Joe" and "Joe Public".

Edna was the inside term by Metallica (in the 80s, back when they were a
real band and not a bunch of whining sissies who sue universities) for a
groupie.

Mick is a pejorative term for an Irish-American, from the name Michael.
Paddy from Patrick, also for a Irishman.  Dego is for an Italian-American,
and it came from the name Diego, supposedly.  (But isn't that more Spanish?)

Others I can think of: peeping Tom (voyeur), crazy Ivan (Cold War term for a
renegade Soviet spy, which I heard in some movie), patsy (one who takes the
fall for a crime, but an origin in the name Patsy is doubtful), and Jolly
Roger (I forgot, it is for a pirate or his ship?)

And in Russian, there's an old expression that translates to something like
this: "here's Yuri and Grandma for you".

DaW.
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