Great Scott!

Dear WB:

Do you know the origin of "great Scott!"?

Rhonda Burnett

Who was Scott, and why was he so great? Scott is the American general Winfield Scott (1786 - 1866). He joined the army in 1809, and acquired the nickname "Fuss and Feathers" for his attention to dress and protocol. He didn't become "Great Scott" until the Mexican War.

In the 1830s, Mexico included most of what is now New Mexico and California. President James Polk wanted to buy the territory from Mexico for $20 million. Mexico didn't feel like giving up half their country no matter what the price, so they attacked some Americans moving to the disputed area. In November 1846, Polk sent General Scott to attack Mexico. Scott won repeated victories and occupied Mexico City in 1848. You know what happened with New Mexico and California.

Scott ran for president as the Whig candidate in 1852, but lost by a narrow margin to the Democrat candidate Franklin Pierce. Still, nobody says "Great Pierce", do they?

James R. Watson, Origins Guy

Where's My Chamber Pot?

Dear WB:

Almost completely stumped. I have looked through many books and so far have been unable to find the origin of two phrases.

Looking for the history behind the phrases "state of the art" and also "he doesn't have a pot to p*** in".

Any suggestions on where I can find these answers?

Thanks.

George Madeira
Etiwanda, California

Well, George, I'm sorry to report that these two phrases don't have any sort of "cute" origin story. Basically, "state of the art" originally meant the status of the development of a process. By the 1950s, it came to mean the best techniques or equipment. As for "he doesn't have a pot to p*** in," that is a 20th century expression that means someone is so poor they don't even own a chamber pot, let alone have indoor plumbing.

I much prefer phrases that have a cute story or a change in meaning. I'm poor at finding the author who first coined a phrase, and I'm not adding a lot of value if I'm just explaining a fairly literal expression.

Speaking of "number one," a search at http://www.webtender.com/ reveals that thirteen cocktails are named after urine. Now that's value-added information!

James R. Watson, Origins Guy

Going to Davy Jones' Locker

Dear WB:

In a recent conversation with my wife, the phrase "Davy Jones' locker" (as in going to it, that is, the bottom of the ocean) came up. We haven't been able to figure out the origin of this phrase. I am sure it started with English sailors, but can you help us out with who or what the "Davy Jones" refers to?

Thanks.

Scott Brown
Columbus, Ohio

"Davy Jones' Locker" is that place at the bottom of the ocean where sunken ships and drowned sailors go. The expression first shows up in Peregrine Pickle (1751). The origin is uncertain. Some people think Davy Jones was a Welsh sailor. Another school thinks that "Jones" is a corruption of Jonah, the guy in the Bible who was swallowed by a whale. Either way, I'll quickly mention that the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic went to Davy Jones' locker, and perhaps I can cash in on "Titanic fever."

James R. Watson, Origins Guy

Pinks, Pink, Pinking

Dear WB:

I'm looking for the origin of the term "pinks" to describe the red jackets worn by English fox hunters. I think the term is still used today to describe these coats. I need to know why the jackets are referred to as "pink" when they are actually red in colour.

This research is an assignment for a writing class, and I have searched the Web high and low .... you're my last hope!

Thanks for any help you can give me regarding this obscure term.

Regards,

Teresa L. Summerlee

I'm not much of a fox hunter, but I've turned up some ideas.

You might be surprised to hear that using the word "pink" to mean a light red colour is the newest meaning of the word. Pink is the common name for the flower dianthus, a relative of the carnation. It was considered to be a perfect flower, so expressions like "in the pink" really mean you're as perfect as a dianthus, not that you're pink in colour. One common colour of this flower is light red, so the colour pink was named after the flower.

The flower is named after the serrated edges of its petals. The verb "pink" means to cut a serrated edge, or to cut a decorative serration. If you sew, then you might have pinking shears on hand that cut a zig-zag edge to keep fabrics from unravelling. To review, the verb "pinking" led to calling a flower a pink, which in turn named the colour pink and also became synonymous with perfection.

So why are the crimson fox hunter's jacket called pinks? Well, the dianthus I planted in my garden last month is crimson, not pink. I'll let you decide whether the coats are named after a serrated decoration, their red colour, the flower, or because they're perfect.

James R. Watson, Origins Guy

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