July 03, 2009

FANCY THE IRKISHNESS.

Just a few bits of George Herriman's unique brand of linguistic revelry from Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940: "A Brick Stuffed with Moom-bins"; all these are taken from the strip of January 15, 1939:

[Ignatz:] I'm sure in delight that I'm not a "door mouse" — fancy the irkishness of packing a "door" around.

[Offissa Pupp:] Whistling, evil is awing. [I.e., "a-wing," on the wing —LH]

[Ignatz's wife, making a rare appearance:] A door — a door of all things — me and the children hungry and ragged, and you buying a door — y-y-you pilgarlic!

Posted by languagehat at July 3, 2009 03:53 PM
Comments

I'm glad I've met "pilgarlic".

Wordnik says that Webster's 1913 defines it as

"One who has lost his hair by disease; a sneaking fellow, or one who is hardly used."

Posted by: nafahthi at July 4, 2009 12:12 AM

lost his hair by disease

As Grose added, “chiefly the venereal one.” The pil- is some combination of peel[ed] / pill[ed]. It's pilled garlick in Johnson's 4th ed. See the discussion in an early Notes & Queries.

Posted by: MMcM at July 4, 2009 01:16 AM

From MMcM's "discussion" link: "The spelling, concerning which your querist desires information, is, however, the least important point."

Posted by: language hat at July 4, 2009 10:36 AM