Flibbertigibbet

Posted by Lewis on July 26, 2004

In Reply to: ^ Flibberty Gibberty ^ posted by ESC on July 23, 2004

: : Hi, I'm deeply fascinated with reduplicated words such as flip-flop, mish-mash, hippety-hop, etc. After googling for them, I came across a huge list on this site: www.trussel.com/ flipflop.htm

: : But I was stumped as to the meaning of these, can you please help out:
: : * tush-tush - I know what tush means btw, :)
: : * flibberti-gibberty
: : * hufty-magufty
: : * kitchy-koo - same as cootchie-coo?
: : * humdudgeon
: : * whoop-de-doo - know the dic. meaning but I've heard it being used as an interjection..but I don't know in what way.
: : * Huff-Snuff

: : More Later..

: Flibbertygibbet -- A silly, fluttering, restless young woman. From "Southern Stuff: Down-home Talk and Bodacious Lore from Deep in the Heart of Dixie" by Mildred Jordan Brooks (Avon Books, New York, 1992).

Funny, I thought William Shakespeare got there first: I didn't know he was an habituee of Dixie, silly me.

From King Lear :

Edgar: This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet: he begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock; he gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the harelip; mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth. Swithold footed thrice the old;
He met the night-mare, and her nine-fold; Bid her alight, And her troth plight,
And aroint thee, witch, aroint thee!

[I have heard it used of a flighty woman though.]