I hosie

Posted by Woodchuck on September 17, 2002

In Reply to: I hosie posted by Bonnie on September 17, 2002

: Growing up in New England we often would "hosie" for the best of something. "I hosie the front seat" which meant you had dibs on the front seat in the car. But where did the word "hosie" come from?(Or dibs for that matter)

Dibs:
-quote-
Random House online gives:

dibs (dibz) n. Informal
1. money in small amounts.
2. rights or claims regarding the use or possession of something: I have dibs on the car when she brings it back.
[1720-30; shortening of earlier dibstones = knucklebones used in a children's game (dib of obscure orig.)]

dibstones = cherry stones ?< Talmudic Hebrew DooVD'Van = cherry
Cherry pits/stones may have been used like "jacks". Today, Israeli kids play similar games with apricot seeds.

Playing games with knucklebones sounds a bit gruesome. :-)

Most likely derivation for meaning #2:

"to have a claim on" Aramaic/Talmudic taf-vet-yod-aiyin-heh TVi'aH = claim (noun); taf-vav-aiyin TaVa3 = claim (verb)

I presume the "s" was added as an English plural, if not from TVi'oS = claims.

This article may be freely reproduced electronically provided the author and alt.usage.english are credited.

izzy_cohen@bmc.com
-endquote-

Hosie:

You must be from Mass., right? :) The only reasonable theory I've heard is that "I'm holding that seat" became "holdsie" (with a silent d) and the local accent turned the "ol" sound into a single nasal intonation.