Pooky/Pookie

Posted by R. Berg on November 22, 2002

In Reply to: Pooky/Pookie posted by quinn on November 22, 2002

: : Try as I might, I can not find the origin of the endearment. A friend said she thought there was a comic strip or fictional character at one time called "Ooky Pooky," but again, I can find no reference to it. Anyone?

: Couldn't that be 'Hokey Pokey'?

The closest thing I found is "pooka" or "phooka," an Irish word for "a hobgoblin, a malignant sprite" (OED); related to Welsh "puca," goblin. "Pookie" sounds like baby talk to me, in a category with "snookums."

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