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{{Short description|Canadian slang term}} |
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{{other uses}} |
{{other uses}} |
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{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2016}} |
{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2016}} |
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{{Culture of Canada}} |
{{Culture of Canada}} |
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'''''Hoser''''' or '''''hose-head''''' is |
'''''Hoser''''' or '''''hose-head''''' is a slang term originating in [[Canada]] that is used to reference or imitate [[Canadians]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/toronto00rawl|url-access=registration|quote=Hoser Canadian slang.|title=Toronto|first1=Charles |last1=Rawlings-Way|first2= Natalie |last2=Karneef|page=[https://archive.org/details/toronto00rawl/page/20 20]|publisher=Lonely Planet Publications|year=2007|isbn=978-1-74059-835-4 |access-date=2010-12-22}}</ref> |
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The term "hoser |
The term "hoser" is a comedic label given to someone that gained popularity and notoriety from the comedic skits by [[Rick Moranis]] and [[Dave Thomas (actor)|Dave Thomas]] (playing the characters of [[Bob and Doug McKenzie]]) in [[Second City Television|''SCTV'']]'s "[[List of Bob and Doug McKenzie appearances on SCTV|The Great White North]]" segments.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g80P_4v4QbIC&pg=PA249 |title=The New Hacker's Dictionary|first=Eric S.|last=Raymond|page=249|publisher=MIT Press|year=1999|edition=3rd|isbn=0-262-18178-9|access-date=2010-12-22}}</ref> The characters also used the verb 'to hose' as a synonym for 'to swindle'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNRlcjz3acU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/pNRlcjz3acU |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Great White North: Mouse in a Bottle|work=SCTV|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> |
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==Origins== |
==Origins== |
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The origin of the term |
The origin of the term is unclear. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' records the first use in writing as being a 1981 ''[[Toronto Star]]'' article about the McKenzie brothers, and there is no clear evidence that the term was in use before then. Nonetheless, the term has spawned several popular [[false etymology|false etymologies]].<ref name="mentalfloss">{{cite web|title=Where Does the Word "Hoser" Come From?|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/51399/where-does-word-hoser-come|author=Sean Hutchinson|publisher=[[Mental Floss]]|date=July 1, 2013|access-date=December 2, 2013}}</ref> |
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A popular origin story holds that in outdoor [[ice hockey]] before [[ice resurfacer]]s, the losing team in a hockey game would have to hose down the rink after a game to make the ice smooth again. Thus the term ''hoser'' was synonymous with ''loser''.<ref name="mentalfloss"/> Another suggestion for the origin of the term involves [[farmer]]s of the [[Canadian Prairies]] who would [[siphon]] gasoline from farming vehicles with a hose during the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s.<ref name="mentalfloss"/> "Hosed" is also a euphemism for [[alcohol intoxication|drunkenness]] in Canadian English, and by extension a hoser is one who is drunk. |
A popular origin story holds that in outdoor [[ice hockey]] before [[ice resurfacer]]s, the losing team in a hockey game would have to hose down the rink after a game to make the ice smooth again. Thus the term ''hoser'' was synonymous with ''loser''.<ref name="mentalfloss"/> Another suggestion for the origin of the term involves [[farmer]]s of the [[Canadian Prairies]] who would [[siphon]] gasoline from farming vehicles with a hose during the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s.<ref name="mentalfloss"/> "Hosed" is also a euphemism for [[alcohol intoxication|drunkenness]] in Canadian English, and by extension a hoser is one who is drunk. |
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Another possible origin may stem from loggers' slang, where "hoosier" referred contemptuously to an untrained, inept, or slack worker.<ref>Elrick B Davis, "Paul Bunyan Talk," American Speech, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Dec., 1942), p. 222.</ref> |
Another possible origin may stem from loggers' slang, where "hoosier" referred contemptuously to an untrained, inept, or slack worker.<ref>Elrick B Davis, "Paul Bunyan Talk," American Speech, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Dec., 1942), p. 222.</ref> |
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One theory is that it was derived from the term "hose bag" which was a popular insult amongst suburban Toronto high school students in the 1970s. The term was shortened to "hoser" to thwart the rebuffs of school teachers and parents who found "hose bag" offensive. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Canadian slang]] |
* [[Canadian slang]] |
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* [[Eh]] |
* [[Eh]] |
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* [[List of ethnic slurs]] |
* [[List of ethnic slurs]] |
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* ''[[Yoga Hosers]]'' |
* ''[[Yoga Hosers]]'' |
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[[Category:Bob and Doug McKenzie]] |
[[Category:Bob and Doug McKenzie]] |
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[[Category:Canadian slang]] |
[[Category:Canadian slang]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Stereotypes of white people]] |
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[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]] |
[[Category:Pejorative terms for white people]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:32, 5 April 2024
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Hoser or hose-head is a slang term originating in Canada that is used to reference or imitate Canadians.[1]
The term "hoser" is a comedic label given to someone that gained popularity and notoriety from the comedic skits by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas (playing the characters of Bob and Doug McKenzie) in SCTV's "The Great White North" segments.[2] The characters also used the verb 'to hose' as a synonym for 'to swindle'.[3]
Origins
[edit]The origin of the term is unclear. The Oxford English Dictionary records the first use in writing as being a 1981 Toronto Star article about the McKenzie brothers, and there is no clear evidence that the term was in use before then. Nonetheless, the term has spawned several popular false etymologies.[4]
A popular origin story holds that in outdoor ice hockey before ice resurfacers, the losing team in a hockey game would have to hose down the rink after a game to make the ice smooth again. Thus the term hoser was synonymous with loser.[4] Another suggestion for the origin of the term involves farmers of the Canadian Prairies who would siphon gasoline from farming vehicles with a hose during the Great Depression of the 1930s.[4] "Hosed" is also a euphemism for drunkenness in Canadian English, and by extension a hoser is one who is drunk.
Another possible origin may stem from loggers' slang, where "hoosier" referred contemptuously to an untrained, inept, or slack worker.[5]
One theory is that it was derived from the term "hose bag" which was a popular insult amongst suburban Toronto high school students in the 1970s. The term was shortened to "hoser" to thwart the rebuffs of school teachers and parents who found "hose bag" offensive.
The term hoser was used frequently on the U.S. sitcom How I Met Your Mother in relation to main character Robin Scherbatsky, who was a native of Canada. She sometimes visited a Canadian-themed bar, Hoser Hut.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Rawlings-Way, Charles; Karneef, Natalie (2007). Toronto. Lonely Planet Publications. p. 20. ISBN 978-1-74059-835-4. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
Hoser Canadian slang.
- ^ Raymond, Eric S. (1999). The New Hacker's Dictionary (3rd ed.). MIT Press. p. 249. ISBN 0-262-18178-9. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ "Great White North: Mouse in a Bottle". SCTV. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c Sean Hutchinson (July 1, 2013). "Where Does the Word "Hoser" Come From?". Mental Floss. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ Elrick B Davis, "Paul Bunyan Talk," American Speech, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Dec., 1942), p. 222.