Question:Why is a criminal called a "hoodlum"? I'm tempted to think that it has something to do with thieves wearing hoods when they commit their crimes, but that doesn't explain the "lum."Answer:"Hoodlum" is an Americanism. It originated in San Francisco around 1870. (The shortened form "hood" wasn't recorded until some 60 years later.) By about 1877, people were taking notice of "hoodlum" in other areas of the country, but by that time no one could remember exactly how it had come to be. Newspaper articles were frequently written about the word, putting forth many colorful stories to account for it, but none of these have ever been proved true.
The prize for most dubious theory goes to the story that claims that a group of criminals would themselves cry "Huddle 'im!" when they encountered a potential victim on the waterfront. They would then huddle around him to beat him and steal his valuables.
Another theory claims that a San Francisco reporter spelled a local gang leader's name backwards because he feared the consequences of exposing the true name. "Muldoon" became "Noodlum," but a typesetter misread the reporter's handwriting, and "Noodlum" became "Hoodlum." Soon "hoodlum" became a synonym for a petty criminal. There are several variations on this story, including one in which "Noodlum" became "Hoodlum" because of an association with the Irish name "Hooligan."
These stories show considerable creativity, but the truth is likely to be far more prosaic. The leading current theory is that "hoodlum" comes from a German dialect word, "hudelum," which means "disorderly." There were many German-Americans living in the San Francisco area at the time, and it's not unreasonable to suppose that some of them may have adapted a familiar word for a new use.
Question:The plural of "beer": Is it "beers" or "beer"? I say, "There are two beer in the fridge," but my boss says, "There are two beers in the fridge." Who is correct?
Answer:It sounds like you have an interesting job. In its ordinary use as the name of a beverage "beer" is what grammarians call a "mass" or "noncount" noun, and like other such nouns ("justice," "sand," and "pork," for example) is not used in the plural. "Count" nouns ("judge," "grain," and "pig," for example) do have plurals, formed with "-s" or "-es" for the most part.
Some nouns have both count and noncount meanings, and in particular the names of beverages have a sense meaning a drink of or a container of, and it is this use of "beer" that prompts your question. The answer is that the usual plural of "beer" is "beers"; the beverage names that have this sense form a regular plural.
There are nouns in English whose plural form is identical with the singular ("sheep," "fish," "pair"). Some have it as the only plural; for others it is an alternative to the regular form. "Beer," however, does not belong to this group of nouns. We would guess that your use of the unusual plural "beer" has been influenced by the fact that "beer" has no plural in its central and most common meaning.
Question:Would you please explain the meaning and origin of the word "skosh," as in "a skosh more room"?
Answer:The word "skosh" comes from a Japanese term meaning "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." It can be used as a noun (to have a skosh of something) or, more commonly, as an adverb (to be just a skosh tired). The Japanese word "sukoshi" (rhymes with "slow she") was shortened to "skoshi," and then to "skosh," by U. S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. Later, in the Korean War, a small soldier was often nicknamed "Skosh."
This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster's "Collegiate Dictionary," Tenth Edition. Send questions to: Merriam-Webster's Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, MA 01102. Merriam-Webster Inc. Dist. by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service