So many words already written on the subject of the UK riots. Four that interest me in the main are; loot, thug, hooligan, and …cobra.
"Loot" is Hindi in origin and enters English through the early days of the Raj, of course and refers specifically to stolen property. Its first attested use as a verb dates from the mid 19th century.
"Thug", likewise, is from the Hindi and also entered common usage in the early 19th century when the activities of the sect commonly (but mistakenly) called “thugees” became the stuff of unpleasant tales from the Raj.
"Hooligan", of course, is said to be based on the Irish family name, “Houlihan” becoming widely used, again in the 19th century as a synonym for “lout”.
Now, what strikes me about these words, used with abandon in most news articles on the subject of rioting, is how racially pejorative they all are. It may be coincidence, of course but surely, there are good, solid, Norse or Saxon or even Norman words for the anti-social?
How about “ruffian”? No, sorry, it’s Italian. “Hoodlum”? Old German, apparently, meaning someone who covers their head, presumably to avoid identification. It had connotations of villainy (see below) from early times. It went straight to America, bypassing England. We’re on safer ground with “villain” – Old French meaning “country labourer” – a profession which obviously had unsavoury connotations amongst the aristocracy (who, after all, owned the language). However, nowadays a “villain” is rather a tabloid term of endearment for crooks and scallywags of all kinds. “Crook” is old Norse and “scallywag”? …well, you tell me.
No, the more unlike ourselves these people are, the better we like it and, racist or no, these are the words we will use.
We have a new word, though – “hoodie”. A catch-all word describing any young person who wears what we used to call a tracksuit top that has a hood on it. It has convenient etymological connections with “hood”, meaning “unsavoury character” (cf. hoodlum).
Oh, almost forgot. “Cobra”. In the context of public order, it refers to the British Government’s crisis response committee, which meets in one of the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (C.O.B.R.). Fortuitously, this sounds enough like “Cobra” for the media to jump on it; strike-force – cobra. Geddit? Government spin doctors liked this and so, they arranged for the meetings of this response committee to always meet in Cabinet Office Briefing Room “A”, thus completing the macho acronym to everyone’s satisfaction. David Cameron appears particularly fond of referring to his “…meetings of COBRA…” and his “…agreements at COBRA…”
To my ears, it sounds like it comes straight out of “Team America” but to many, it must be marvellous to hear that our response to the “thugs” hooligans” and “looters” is… COBRA. That’ll teach ‘em.
It might interest the spin doctors to know that the word “cobra” derives from a Portuguese term meaning, “to wear a hood”.
"Loot" is Hindi in origin and enters English through the early days of the Raj, of course and refers specifically to stolen property. Its first attested use as a verb dates from the mid 19th century.
"Thug", likewise, is from the Hindi and also entered common usage in the early 19th century when the activities of the sect commonly (but mistakenly) called “thugees” became the stuff of unpleasant tales from the Raj.
"Hooligan", of course, is said to be based on the Irish family name, “Houlihan” becoming widely used, again in the 19th century as a synonym for “lout”.
Now, what strikes me about these words, used with abandon in most news articles on the subject of rioting, is how racially pejorative they all are. It may be coincidence, of course but surely, there are good, solid, Norse or Saxon or even Norman words for the anti-social?
How about “ruffian”? No, sorry, it’s Italian. “Hoodlum”? Old German, apparently, meaning someone who covers their head, presumably to avoid identification. It had connotations of villainy (see below) from early times. It went straight to America, bypassing England. We’re on safer ground with “villain” – Old French meaning “country labourer” – a profession which obviously had unsavoury connotations amongst the aristocracy (who, after all, owned the language). However, nowadays a “villain” is rather a tabloid term of endearment for crooks and scallywags of all kinds. “Crook” is old Norse and “scallywag”? …well, you tell me.
No, the more unlike ourselves these people are, the better we like it and, racist or no, these are the words we will use.
We have a new word, though – “hoodie”. A catch-all word describing any young person who wears what we used to call a tracksuit top that has a hood on it. It has convenient etymological connections with “hood”, meaning “unsavoury character” (cf. hoodlum).
Oh, almost forgot. “Cobra”. In the context of public order, it refers to the British Government’s crisis response committee, which meets in one of the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (C.O.B.R.). Fortuitously, this sounds enough like “Cobra” for the media to jump on it; strike-force – cobra. Geddit? Government spin doctors liked this and so, they arranged for the meetings of this response committee to always meet in Cabinet Office Briefing Room “A”, thus completing the macho acronym to everyone’s satisfaction. David Cameron appears particularly fond of referring to his “…meetings of COBRA…” and his “…agreements at COBRA…”
To my ears, it sounds like it comes straight out of “Team America” but to many, it must be marvellous to hear that our response to the “thugs” hooligans” and “looters” is… COBRA. That’ll teach ‘em.
It might interest the spin doctors to know that the word “cobra” derives from a Portuguese term meaning, “to wear a hood”.
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