Foozle

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Every day in my email I get A Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster.
Today's word is one I've often seen in Wodehouse, the golf stories in
particular, although I have a vague feeling that it gets used sometimes
outside of strictly golfing settings. That word is, of course, foozle.

To quote the newsletter:

'"Foozle" dates only to the late 19th century, but its origins are
obscure. The German dialect verb "fuseln" ("to work carelessly") could
figure in its history, but that speculation has never been proven. Not
particularly common today, "foozle" still holds a special place in the
hearts, minds, and vocabularies of many golfers. In golf, to foozle a
shot is to bungle it and a foozle is a bungled shot. In a Century
magazine piece from 1899 called "Two Players and their Play," Beatrice
Hanscom reveals more of golf's specialized vocabulary:

'She tops her ball; then divots fly;
In bunkers long she stays;
She foozles all along the course
In most astounding ways:
In sooth, it is an eery thing
The way Priscilla plays.'

[Ken Miner]

Oxford English Dictionary gives a golf citation from 1892: "Daily News 14
Jan. 5/1 You 'will' your opponent to foozle his tee shot." Earlier it
apparently meant to waste one's time. OED's earliest is "1857 HUGHES Tom
Brown II. iii. (1871) 264 Let's..have no more of his foozling bird's
nesting."

OED mentions German dialectal 'fuseln' with a mere "Cf." Oddly, they don't
mention standard German "pfuschen, verpfuschen" with the present meaning of
'foozle'. German also has the wonderful "Pfuscherei" for a general foozle.

I put my money on 'fuseln' since it would presumably be pronounced [fuzeln],
so "to foozle" :)

Ken

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by Ken Miner
Oxford English Dictionary gives a golf citation from 1892: "Daily News 14
Jan. 5/1 You 'will' your opponent to foozle his tee shot." Earlier it
apparently meant to waste one's time. OED's earliest is "1857 HUGHES Tom
Brown II. iii. (1871) 264 Let's..have no more of his foozling bird's
nesting."
OED mentions German dialectal 'fuseln' with a mere "Cf." Oddly, they don't
mention standard German "pfuschen, verpfuschen" with the present meaning of
'foozle'. German also has the wonderful "Pfuscherei" for a general foozle.
I put my money on 'fuseln' since it would presumably be pronounced [fuzeln],
so "to foozle" :)

M-W mentioned 'fuseln': 'The German dialect verb "fuseln" ("to work
carelessly") could figure in its history, but that speculation has never
been proven.'

[k***@duke.edu]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
Today's word is one I've often seen in Wodehouse, the golf stories in
particular, although I have a vague feeling that it gets used sometimes
outside of strictly golfing settings. That word is, of course, foozle.

There's a bit of discussion of the word, along with a reverently doffed
golf cap to PGW, in _The Bogey Man_, by George Plimpton (on whom be
peace.) It's the best of Plimpton's sports books, IMO, and would make
nice off-season reading for most Plum fans. There's a bit early on about
Japanese admirals, plus some remarkable digressions about French
model-boating enthusiasts and hillbilly train rides, that make it
delightfully entertaining, at least IMHO.

_______________________________________________
Ken Kuzenski AC4RD atsign mindspring dotsign com
_______________________________________________
All disclaimers apply, see? www.duke.edu/~kuzen001

[s***@gmail.com]

Post by Frank R.A.J. Maloney
Every day in my email I get A Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster.
Today's word is one I've often seen in Wodehouse, the golf stories in
particular, although I have a vague feeling that it gets used sometimes
outside of strictly golfing settings. That word is, of course, foozle.
'"Foozle" dates only to the late 19th century, but its origins are
obscure. The German dialect verb "fuseln" ("to work carelessly") could
figure in its history, but that speculation has never been proven. Not
particularly common today, "foozle" still holds a special place in the
hearts, minds, and vocabularies of many golfers. In golf, to foozle a
shot is to bungle it and a foozle is a bungled shot. In a Century
magazine piece from 1899 called "Two Players and their Play," Beatrice
'She tops her ball; then divots fly;
In bunkers long she stays;
She foozles all along the course
In sooth, it is an eery thing
The way Priscilla plays.'
--
Frank in Seattle
____
Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"Millennium hand and shrimp."

There are of course many references to foozelled shots in Wodehouse
golf stories, due to varied reasons, one going as far as to be
disturbed by a buterfly sneezing in the meadows. The most common ones
are opponents or spectators talking away when the shot is being
taken.Then there are cable delivery boys bringing disturbing messages.
Or soem foozelled their shots because they simply were below par
golfers.

Swordfish

[Peter Marksteiner]

Frank R.A.J. Maloney <***@blarg.net> wrote:
: Every day in my email I get A Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster.
: Today's word is one I've often seen in Wodehouse, the golf stories in
: particular, although I have a vague feeling that it gets used sometimes
: outside of strictly golfing settings. That word is, of course, foozle.

E.C. Bentley wrote a Clerihew[1] about foozling:

In later life Methuselah
became a hopeless foozler.
After he was seven hundred sixty-five
he practically never hit a decent drive.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerihew

Peter

[Frank R.A.J. Maloney]

Post by Peter Marksteiner
: Every day in my email I get A Word of the Day from Merriam-Webster.
: Today's word is one I've often seen in Wodehouse, the golf stories in
: particular, although I have a vague feeling that it gets used sometimes
: outside of strictly golfing settings. That word is, of course, foozle.
In later life Methuselah
became a hopeless foozler.
After he was seven hundred sixty-five
he practically never hit a decent drive.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerihew
Peter

Well done, that man.