Question: When my daughter had her first child, I was tempted to write a poem about my entry into geezerhood (life after childhood and manhood). But when I look up "geezer," I found that it was not really a humorous synonym for one who was long of tooth and short of hair, but actually referred to any queer or odd male - not exactly what I had intended. Several other dictionaries have similar definitions, but none of them included the sense of simply old, or old and eccentric, which is how I have often seen the word used. Could you explain how and when "geezer" acquired the implication of age, since it was clearly not there when most current dictionaries were compiled?
- J. W., Huntsville, Ala.
Answer: It is certainly true that "geezer" is often used in reference to elderly males. In fact, its association with old age goes back as far as the late 19th century, when the word first began to appear in printed English texts. It is also true, however, that when "geezer" is applied to an old person, it is usually preceded by the adjective "old." The widespread use of the phrase "old geezer" leads us to question whether "geezer" itself denotes old age, or whether the suggestion of advanced age is mainly carried by the word "old."
Since the 1970s, however, we have gathered a number of examples in which "geezer" is used alone and clearly refers to an old man or, in the plural, to elderly people in general. This evidence is not quite strong enough to prove that "geezer" actually means "old man" or "old person," but it did prompt us to revise the definition of "geezer" in our most recent dictionary from "a queer, odd or eccentric man" to "a queer, odd or eccentric person - used especially of elderly men."
Although today men are the primary targets of "geezer," this may not have always been the case. In the oldest recorded example of the term, dating back to 1885, "geezers" is used to refer to an elderly landlord as well as his wife. Another early example, from 1886, describes an unpleasant old woman as a "frizzle-headed old geezer." A 1906 reference book goes as far as to define "geezer" as a "vulgar term applied, usually in derision, to elderly persons, particularly women." In 1909 "geezer" appeared in the first edition of Webster's New International Dictionary as "A queer old fellow, an old chap; an old woman."
"Geezer" originally comes from "guiser," a chiefly Scottish term that literally means "one in disguise." Since the 15th century "guiser" has referred to performers in a pantomime or to disguised merrymakers attending a festival. It is fairly easy to see how the outrageous antics of the costumed guiser might have given rise to the general "odd person" sense of "geezer." How "geezer" came to be associated with old age, on the other hand, is not so clear. The evidence at hand doesn't go back far enough in time to offer a definite explanation. But it seems probable that "geezer" at one time suggested the eccentricity, or possibly even the mental infirmity, sometimes associated with stereotypes about old age.
Question: I've always been curious about the use of the phrase "Sam Hill," as in "What in the Sam Hill was that all about?" Does "Sam Hill" refer to an actual person (or an actual hill)? And how did the name come to be part of the expression?
Answer: For over a century, word history enthusiasts have puzzled over the question "Who in Sam Hill was Sam Hill?" Not surprisingly, there is no proven explanation for the origin of the expression, which is most likely just a personified euphemism for "hell," and which is used in much the same way as "dickens" and "heck." It is commonly assumed that the "Hill" in "Sam Hill" was chosen for its obvious similarity. Presumably, "Hill" couldn't stand alone because it is too similar and hence not euphemistic enough, so "Sam" was added. "Sam" may have derived, according to one theory, from the word "salmon," which is claimed to be a variation of "Salomon," meaning "an oath."
A popular folk legend provides another "explanation." It identifies "Sam Hill" as Col. Sam Hill, a politician from Guilford, Conn., who was reputedly always running for and being elected to public office. To "run like Sam Hill" was thus to give it all you had. No evidence that Col. Sam Hill ever existed has been found, but the legend endures nonetheless.