"Hucking" phrases revisited

Posted by Joel on June 26, 2000

Despite the excellent discussion that I'm pasting in, below, I recently heard a guy here in British Columbia (western Canada) say he was going to "huck a load of weeds into the compost pile." So in some usages, hucking seems to equate to throwing.

(Earlier dialogue:)
Picture a peddler carrying a load of goods on his back, bending and stooping over from the weight of his load---to heuker or huckster or hawk something for sale---in a stooped over position.

Main Entry: 1huck·ster
Pronunciation: 'h&k-st&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English hukster, from Middle Dutch hokester, from hoeken to peddle
Date: 13th century
1 : HAWKER, PEDDLER
2 : one who produces promotional material for commercial clients especially for radio or television

huiken: to stoop
hocken: to squat
heuker:bend

Huckster
(Huck"ster) n. [OE. hukstere, hukster, OD. heukster, D. heuker; akin to D. huiken to stoop, bend, OD. huycken, huken, G. hocken, to squat, Icel. hka; - the peddler being named from his stooping under the load on his back. Cf. Hawk to offer for sale.]

Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1913