Shmohawk

Shmohawk or schmohawk is a slang term that might have derived from schmo, a slang term meaning fool.[1] The HBO television show Curb Your Enthusiasm gave the word recent notoriety, and HBO even sells a Curb Your Enthusiasm schmohawk mug. [2] Earlier uses of the word can be found in the Crusader Rabbit animated cartoon "Crusader and the Schmohawk Indians", released in 1950[3] and in Saul Bellow's 1958 novel Henderson the Rain King.

Shmohawk or schmohawk is the word mohawk with the prefix shm-. In English, this prefix has a mocking or dismissive meaning. The shm- prefix's English language meaning is borrowed from the Yiddish language, in which the prefix has been used to similar effect.[4]

In popular culture

See also

References

Notes

  1. Oxford English Dictionary, second edition. Oxford University Press. 1989.
  2. "HBO Store - Curb your Enthusiasm: Schmohawk Mug".
  3. "Crusader Rabbit and the Schmohawk Indians".
  4. Elaine Gold (2002). "English Schmenglish". Proceedings of the 2002 annual conference of the Canadian Linguistic Association: 108–120.

External links

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