Mikefule said:*So, is scads always used in the plural, or can you have a single scad
of something? Are there kiloscads and nanoscads? *
Definitely still on topic here. This is from the "Word Detective."
Dear Word Detective: Can you tell me where the word "scad" came from,
as in "scads of money"? -- Edith Freedle, New York City.
Well, as is the case with so many of our most interesting slang words,
no one can say precisely where it came from, but we can tell you where
it's been. Slang often seems to pop out of thin air and then, once
established, go through several mutations until it arrives at its
current modern meaning.
"Scad," meaning lots of anything, is a case in point. Ask any
dictionary, and chances are good it will tell you "origin unknown." We
do know that "scad" first appeared in print in the early 19th century,
and that it was an American slang term for "dollar." In the first
recorded citation in 1809, The American Magazine waxed poetic about the
fiscal acumen of its citizens: "This land of our dads ... is a dinger at
nailing the scads," meaning that Americans were good at making money.
By the middle of the 19th century, "scad" had come to mean large
quantities of anything, not just money. It was often heard in the same
breath as, and sometimes combined with, "oodles," giving us the emphatic
form "scadoodles," meaning lots and lots of something. "Scadoodle," of
course, should not be confused with "skedaddle," which is what you
should do if your scads of money came from someone else's pocket.
In our tradition of boldly going where no dictionary has gone before, I
will now hazard a guess as to the ultimate origin of "scad." "Scad" is
also a name applied to various species of food fish harvested in the
millions by 18th-century fishermen. It seems likely that anyone
searching for a metaphor for either money or "things of which there are
many" might think of the enormous schools of "scads."
--
harper - HOT!
-Greg Harper
B L U E S H I F T
"You guys aren't thinking this through. Hey, where's your other... BANG.
" - Brian MacKenzie
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