Hocking their wares
Paul Brians
their wares" at the home and garden show.
Wondering how common is this misspelling of the expression "hawking
their wares," I did a little searching and got a huge number of hits
for "hock their wares." There are even a few for "hock their
wears" (not meaning people pawning their fur coats).
Many people don't know that street hucksters hawk their wares; but it
used to be pretty common to call a pawnshop a "hock shop."
By the way, you can buy University of Iowa Hawkeye goods at a "Hawk
Shop"--a clever pun.
Raymond O'Hara
"Paul Brians" <paulb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:09f9518a-5da0-4cce...@i2g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
I'd say your local paper just made a mistake.
Paul Brians
[app. a. MLG. hoker, in LG. and Ger. höker, Du. heuker, higgler,
hawker, huckster, costermonger. The LG. word is usually referred to
hocken to take upon the back, to carry pick-a-back, also, to squat,
keep sitting in the same place; and has been variously explained as
one that carries a pack or load on his back, and one that sits at a
stall.]
A man who goes from place to place selling his goods, or who cries
them in the street. In mod. use technically distinguished from pedlar:
see quot. 1895.
The OED also says that "hawk" as a verb is apparently a back-formation
from the noun "hawker."
Paul Brians
Prai Jei
Something being "in hock" is a familiar expression in BrE - no suggestion
that the word is a mistake for "hawk" or that the item in question is
pickled in dry wine.
However, the context does indeed suggest that "hock" is a mistake
for "hawk". A home and garden show would be an unusual place for
pawnbrokers to operate, but salesmen of questionable repute may well gather
there.
--
?:) Proud to be curly
Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply
Egbert White
<paulb...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Our local newspaper says this morning that merchants will be "hocking
>their wares" at the home and garden show.
>
>Wondering how common is this misspelling of the expression "hawking
>their wares," I did a little searching and got a huge number of hits
>for "hock their wares."
I suppose Areff might say that the error would be limited to CIC
speakers and not to CINC.
But, come to think of it, it gets a little more complicated than that.
A CINC speaker could use 'hock' for 'hawk' because he has never heard
of 'hawking their wares' except from CIC speakers.
By the way, there may be an erroneous usage in the item about the H&G
show in addition to the 'hocking' error. A merchant displaying his
stuff at an H&G show would be doing so from a booth (or in an area)
assigned to him. According to dictionaries, a hawker flogs things
while traveling around.
--
Egbert White, | "I love Americans, but not when they try
Planet Earth | to talk French. What a blessing it is that
| that they never try to talk English."
| -- Saki's Mrs. Mebberley
jerry_f...@yahoo.com
> Our local newspaper says this morning that merchants will be "hocking
> their wares" at the home and garden show.
>
> Wondering how common is this misspelling of the expression "hawking
> their wares," I did a little searching and got a huge number of hits
> for "hock their wares."
I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on the
ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
"hawk".
--
Jerry Friedman
![Reinhold [Rey] Aman's profile photo](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a-/ALV-UjWaT0LUDfKA5mIbowVbHAIA3z5Ut7Y8IMosdHd3OIhPWDnj=s40-c)
Reinhold [Rey] Aman
[...]
> I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
> spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
> and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
> the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
> "hawk".
I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
(stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas "spittle,"
"saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery, non-mucous fluids.
Anyone agree?
The Bavarian and Austrian slang term for "hawker" is _Lúnga-Hàring_
(German: _Lungen-Hering_) = lung-herring. Why, I don't know.
--
~~~ Reinhold [Rey] Aman ~~~
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>Our local newspaper says this morning that merchants will be "hocking
>their wares" at the home and garden show.
>
>Wondering how common is this misspelling of the expression "hawking
>their wares," I did a little searching and got a huge number of hits
>for "hock their wares." There are even a few for "hock their
>wears" (not meaning people pawning their fur coats).
>
>Many people don't know that street hucksters hawk their wares; but it
>used to be pretty common to call a pawnshop a "hock shop."
And pawned goods were said to be "in hock".
So if they are "hocking" their goods, they are presumably pawning them, not
selling them.
Perhaps this is regional -- part of what Richard Fontana used to refer to as
CIC.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
jerry_f...@yahoo.com
> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
> > spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
> > and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
> > the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
> > "hawk".
>
> I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
> (stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas "spittle,"
> "saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery, non-mucous fluids.
>
> Anyone agree?
Sure, now that you mention it.
--
Jerry Friedman
Fred
"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:o604r4l03k8val5uf...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 6 Mar 2009 08:39:35 -0800 (PST), Paul Brians
> <paulb...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Our local newspaper says this morning that merchants will be "hocking
>>their wares" at the home and garden show.
>>
>>Wondering how common is this misspelling of the expression "hawking
>>their wares," I did a little searching and got a huge number of hits
>>for "hock their wares." There are even a few for "hock their
>>wears" (not meaning people pawning their fur coats).
>>
>>Many people don't know that street hucksters hawk their wares; but it
>>used to be pretty common to call a pawnshop a "hock shop."
>
> And pawned goods were said to be "in hock".
>
> So if they are "hocking" their goods, they are presumably pawning them,
> not
> selling them.
>
> Perhaps this is regional -- part of what Richard Fontana used to refer to
> as
> CIC.
>
'Hocking/hock/hocked something off' is a very common expression meaning to
sell something in this neck of the woods.
Steve Hayes
I take that "this neck of the woods" refers to Newzild?
I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
Fred
It's Newzilind.
Tasha Miller
That one is also very familiar to me, Fred.
>
> I take that "this neck of the woods" refers to Newzild?
(Newzild is the dialect, Newzilind is the country.)
If I hock something _off_ I am getting rid of it by selling it - possibly in
a pub, a garage sale or off the back of a truck and the item being sold is
likely to be second hand or not top quality - but if I put something _in_
hock, then I am pawning it. Both are very informal expressions and I'd use
"hawking his wares" or "pawning something" in other contexts.
I'm not sure how much pawning goes on in Australia or New Zealand, anyway.
In Australia we are encouraged to take our surplus possessions down to "Cash
Converters" and exchange them for money so they can be sold to people who do
want them.
>
> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
I don't think I've seen more than two or three other native speakers pop up
in here. Mind you, I come and go at irregular intervals.
(NZE and AusE)
Steve Hayes
>> I take that "this neck of the woods" refers to Newzild?
>
>It's Newzilind.
Is that regional?
In another forum I communicate with someone from Auckland who refers to it as
Newzild. Or Godzone.
Pat Durkin
news:49B1FF7B...@sonic.net
> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>> I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
>> spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
>> and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
>> the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
>> "hawk".
>
> I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
> (stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas
> "spittle," "saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery,
> non-mucous fluids.
>
> Anyone agree?
Agree, but with a nit pick: insisting that a hocker is phlegm and not
spit is picking a nit, Rey.
Fred
> On Sat, 7 Mar 2009 22:10:16 +1300, "Fred" <dre...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>
>>> I take that "this neck of the woods" refers to Newzild?
>>
>>It's Newzilind.
>
> Is that regional?
>
written attempt before, but the pronunciation definitely has the extra
syllable. New Zil-ind. Godzone is vey common, and even makes the odd
appearance in newspapers and television whereas New Zilind is most likely to
be heard on talk-back radio. This URL a a 24 hour nationwide talk-back
station. You wouldn't have to listen long to catch a New Zilind.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/featdetail.asp?recnumber=17
Skitt
> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>> I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
>> spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
>> and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
>> the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
>> "hawk".
>
> I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
> (stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas
> "spittle," "saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery,
> non-mucous fluids.
>
> Anyone agree?
I do.
> The Bavarian and Austrian slang term for "hawker" is _Lúnga-Hàring_
> (German: _Lungen-Hering_) = lung-herring. Why, I don't know.
--
Skitt (AmE)
Fred
"Tasha Miller" <tasham...@gEEEmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:71f289F...@mid.individual.net...
be licensed and I can't recall when I last saw one, but it must have been a
very long time ago. Even second hand shops have all but disappeared,
although Cash Converters still exist. Most second hand goods are now bought
and sold on trademe, a local version of ebay. Trade me has become a national
obsession and was recently purchased by the Australian company, Fairfax. It
must be a while since you've crossed the ditch.
Reinhold [Rey] Aman
>
> Reinhold [Rey] Aman wrote:
>> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>> I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
>>> spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
>>> and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
>>> the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
>>> "hawk".
>>
>> I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
>> (stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas
>> "spittle," "saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery,
>> non-mucous fluids.
>>
>> Anyone agree?
>
> Agree, but with a nit pick: insisting that a hocker is phlegm and not
> spit is picking a nit, Rey.
So, insisting that "ejaculate" (mucous) and "urine" (watery) are not the
same, is that nitpicking, too?
Yendrick
If you're going to do any nitpicking in them parts, use a fine-tooth
steel comb, and follow up with Lindane shampoo and Permethrin rinse.
And boil your shorts and bedsheets in chlorox.
Yendrick
Tasha Miller
> "Tasha Miller" <tasham...@gEEEmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
>>
>> I'm not sure how much pawning goes on in Australia or New Zealand,
>> anyway. In Australia we are encouraged to take our surplus
>> possessions down to "Cash Converters" and exchange them for money so
>> they can be sold to people who do want them.
>>
> I don't think pawning goods is common here these days. Pawnbrokers
> need to be licensed and I can't recall when I last saw one, but it
> must have been a very long time ago. Even second hand shops have all
> but disappeared, although Cash Converters still exist. Most second
> hand goods are now bought and sold on trademe, a local version of
> ebay. Trade me has become a national obsession and was recently
> purchased by the Australian company, Fairfax. It must be a while
> since you've crossed the ditch.
Nope! I pop over there regularly to visit my mother and other family
members. While I'm there I mainly send my money at supermarkets,
bottleshops, cafes and restaurants and on being a sometimes-tourist, though,
so I haven't even noticed whether Op Shops/charity shops are as prevalent
there as they are in Melbourne.
Also, I didn't know that Cash Converters was an international franchise
operation until thirty seconds ago when I looked it up. I certainly don't
remember it from when I lived in NZ twenty years ago, but that only means I
wasn't looking for one and not that they weren't any shops there. The last
time I was in a NZ shopping centre I was very conscious of the fact that I
could have been in an Australian one, most of the shops and food outlets
were from the same set of chain stores. The contents of the supermarket
shelves are usually just as familiar to me aside from NZ having much, much
better biscuits and such (necessarily rare) treats as buzz bars and
chocolate fish.
My mother told me about Trade Me a few years ago and I occasionally look
there for items I can't find on eBay here in Australia and which would cost
far too much to post to me from further away. Now I'm wondering if Freecycle
and Craigslist have spread to NZ, too. I'm glad to hear Fairfax is moving
into such a profitable area! I wish I had shares in PayPal. Now that's what
I call money for jam.
Narelle
There is a pawn shop not far from me (in Sydney, Aus) called "The Happy
Hockers".
>
>>
>> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here at the
moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm beached as Bro" and
"wanna chup bro". They are based on a YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
Narelle
HVS
> Tasha Miller wrote:
>>> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
>
> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here
> at the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm
> beached as Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a
> YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
Does the pronunciation of the affirmative as "yis" count, or is that
a general antipodeanism?
--
Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed
the Omrud
> On 07 Mar 2009, Narelle wrote
>
>> Tasha Miller wrote:
>
>> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here
>> at the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm
>> beached as Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a
>> YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
>
> Does the pronunciation of the affirmative as "yis" count, or is that
> a general antipodeanism?
The conversion of E to I seems to be a major feature of NZ
pronunciation, e.g. "hippy" for "happy" and "git" for "get". I have a
NZ colleague who once told me that she'd was looking for "biin". It
took me three or four repetitions to understand that she was referring
to somebody named "Ben".
--
David
Tasha Miller
>
> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here at
> the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm beached as
> Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a YouTube animation
> "Beached Whale": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
Ha! My daughter bought the "I'm Beached as Bro" t-shirt while we were in NZ
last year. Of course she could have bought it at home from the same chain
store.
Tasha Miller
> On 07 Mar 2009, Narelle wrote
>
>> Tasha Miller wrote:
>
>
>>>> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
>>
>> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here
>> at the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm
>> beached as Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a
>> YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
>
> Does the pronunciation of the affirmative as "yis" count, or is that
> a general antipodeanism?
Not to my ears, but if NZ and Aussie (and South African?) accents sound much
the same to someone they might think differently. To me it's not even a
general NZE pronunciation and I would expect to hear it most from Polynesian
and Maori speakers of English. There may only be a matter of degree in it to
other listeners, though, and I am still picked for a NZer by my vowels
occasionally. It's usually only on my "i" as in "fush and chups" and the
fact that I pronounce dance as dahnce or darnce.
Narelle
> Fred wrote:
>> "Tasha Miller" <tasham...@gEEEmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
>
> contents of the supermarket shelves are usually just as familiar to me
> aside from NZ having much, much better biscuits and such (necessarily
> rare) treats as buzz bars and chocolate fish.
>
And pineapple lumps are pretty choice too, eh bro.
SugarFix shops sell NZ lollies and L&P. A few newsagents and corner
stores around here have NZ lolly stands.
Narelle
Narelle
The conversion of I to U (or sometimes to E) is also a feature, the most
well known oh-so-funny one is the Kiwi pronunciation of "six". It can
either sound like "sex" or "sucks".
NZ accents also differ slightly from North to South Island, getting
stronger the further south you go.
I found this list of "Kiwi speak" words, which to my ear, when said
aloud is mostly correct:
http://www.travelcentre.com.au/travel/australiaNewzealand/new_zealand/how_to_speak_new_zealand.htm
Reinhold [Rey] Aman
>
> Skitt wrote:
>> Reinhold [Rey] Aman wrote:
>>> Jerry Friedman wrote:
>>
>>>> I think "hock" for "hawk" in the sense of "clear one's throat before
>>>> spitting" is also common (as in 'Wannahockaloogie" in /Finding Nemo?,
>>>> and probably the majority of American boys refer to the spittle on
>>>> the ground as a "hocker" without any idea that it might have to with
>>>> "hawk".
>>>
>>> I would not call a "hocker/hawker" _spittle_. A "hawker" is *phlegm*
>>> (stringy, thick mucus, often yellowish or greenish), whereas
>>> "spittle," "saliva" and "spit" are clear, colorless, watery,
>>> non-mucous fluids.
>>>
>>> Anyone agree?
>>
>> I do.
>
> expression where I'm from.
>
"Clam" also conjures up "oyster," a gob of phlegm.
But back to "spittle" and why I don't consider it a (near-)synonym of
"hawker." The latter is semisolid, sort of like thin, watery gelatin.
The former is pure, non-mucous saliva, like water. I think of "spittle"
as either colorless drool running from the (corner of the) mouth or as
droplets of spit ejaculated by someone with bad dentures or having a
"wet" cough.
Furthermore, there's a difference in quantity: a "hawker" is about a
tablespoonful, but "spittle" is far less, at most a teaspoonful.
--
~~~ Reinhold [Rey] Aman ~~~
Never a lickspittle
CDB
> On 07 Mar 2009, Narelle wrote
>
>> Tasha Miller wrote:
>
>
>>>> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
>>
>> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular here
>> at the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as "I'm
>> beached as Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a
>> YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
>
> Does the pronunciation of the affirmative as "yis" count, or is that
> a general antipodeanism?
Don't detect any affirmative "yis"es in there. Are you thinking
"Beached yis"? As with Tasha's T-shirt downthread, that seems to be
"Beached as" ("hell", presumably). The penny dropped when I saw the
URL at the end of the clip.
HVS
> HVS wrote:
>> On 07 Mar 2009, Narelle wrote
>>
>>> Tasha Miller wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>> I don't recall many discussions of NzE here.
>>>
>>> There is a range of t-shirts featuring NZE that are popular
>>> here at the moment. They have cheesy saying on them such as
>>> "I'm beached as Bro" and "wanna chup bro". They are based on a
>>> YouTube animation "Beached Whale":
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
>>
>> Does the pronunciation of the affirmative as "yis" count, or is
>> that a general antipodeanism?
>
> Don't detect any affirmative "yis"es in there. Are you
> thinking "Beached yis"?
Nope; I'm thinking of some of my in-laws (farmers on the North
Island): "Are you coming with us to the dairy?" "Yis, I'll have to
get some kesh on the way, though."
CDB
Rickon Um whooshed is.
Steve Hayes
I mentioned this in the other forum to my New Zealand friend, and here's a
snippet of the conversation:
== begin quote ==
Jules said:
I think you hock you stuff at a pawnshop, but you hawk your stuff on the
street. (Of course, in America the words are homophones, so they would
"hock" everything.)
In Newzild there's a huge diffrence in pronunciation between "hock" and
"hawk." But don't get me started on the way Americans pronounce the name
of my city. ("Ockland" indeed!!)
Lindsay replies:
Homophones are a big problem, even among those who speak the same dialect.
I'll never forget the look of horror on the face of a colleague's wife
when I suggested her husband visit a local pawn shop where there were
often excellent quality goods for sale at low prices. She thought I was
referring to a porn shop!
Incidentally, have you any idea why Auckland was so named? Did there used
to be auks in abundance?
== end quote ==
(Jules is from NZ, Lindsay from South Africa)