The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-07
GENEAL0GY OF "BO0DLE."
Not Definitely Traeeable, But it,
Derivation May be Pretty
Clearly Fixed.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Says That
It is q Diabolish Good
Word.
The Politicians Got the Word From the
Thieves, Which Fact May sug-
gest Another Thought


Thieves, Which Fact May sug-
gest Another Thought
Notwithstanding the genealogy of the
word "boodle'' cannot at present be def
nitely traced, it's derivation can be pretty
clearly fixed. The parent word, or root
form, appears in old English, Friesic,
Dutch and German. The identity of these
words is apparent from the similarly of
spelling, sound and significance, says the
st. Louis Dispatch.
The new Century dictionary contains the
word Doodle and refers to seventeenth
century word, buddle, which it says is the
same as our Doodle. It adds that though
the two words are probably one and the
same doodle" may be a corruption of the
word caboodle. This, however, is not q
tenable hypothesis. as caboodle is itself a
land slang phrase exit and DOODLE" sig
nifying the whole lot. This was the origin
al form, and the transformation into kit
and caboodle'' naturally gre out of mad
desire for ALTERATION in sound.
The seventeenth century use of the word
of Honor" Men curiously and carefully
chosen out from all the buddle and masse
of great ones for their approved wisdome."
The meaning here is the whole. Oliver
Wendell Holmes In the "Autocrat,'' has
the following He .S would like to have the he
against the word, but the professor said it
was diabolish good word), with their
wives and children, shipwrecked on re-
mote island.' Here again the word signi-
fies the whole lot. Although it is ..'vile
word." az Polonius would say, it is "dia-
f,n1i ic NJ min
but when the "Autocrat' was written, some
thirty five years ago, it was still in good
standing.
Among criminals the word seems to have
been first used by counterfeiters to signify
Jargon aud Can't" published in London,
1889, says the word is used in the United
States among thieves to denote only coun-
terfeit bills or coins. Technically it is never
used for nefarious purposes. The "bood-
ler' is he who carries the counterfeit or
queer money, while the ''shover" is he
who passes it off. cat the first sign Of
trouble the Doodle carrier vanishes. leaving
nothing to criminate his companion rogue"
Among confidence men of the species called
in some places ''Mag's men," the word is
used to denote a roll Of paper skillfully
rolled in and covered by greenback or
bank note. The roll is used in their conf
dence games. Among gamblers "boodle'' is
sometimes used to describe the pile of coins
gathered in by the winner of the game.
1t seems pretty certain that the word has
been and is thus used among criminals with
these technical meanings, and since poll
ticians and criminals seem often to shade
into each other by imperceptible graduation
it was only natural that the two trades
should come to share between them SO rich
and juicy term. In its evil sense doodle" is
defined as money fraudulently obtained in
public service, especially money given to or
received by officials in bribery, or gained ty
collusive contracts, appointments, ETC.. by
extension. gained from cheating of any
kind And again: Booty. profit, per-
quisite, plumber, commonly used with re-
gard to government contracts, etc., by
which the public are cheated
It is also pretty we'll agreed that the word
in this sense is of American origin. The
Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Can't"
before referred to- quotes:
Twas Yankee Doodle once, I swore,
But it is Yankee Doodle now.
Which sounds as though written by an
American exile in Canada. But thong Oh its
American origin may be allowed, it has be-
come doEaesticated in other lands, as will
be seen by the following conversation be-
tween an American and a Canadian, which
may or may not be authentic:
Americap-Are you native of Canada?
I suppose you think that country is all
right; but for my part should hate most
awfully to be subject of the queen.
head; there is no difference between Canada
and the United States.
''Come to think of it, believe you do
have elections there"
II should say we did! We have elections
and campaigns and bosses and ringsters
and boodlers and
''Boodlers p
"Plenty of 'em." -..-.
,"Wel!, we'll, why, you are freemen just
like u.s.
But while the word as we have it is thus
identified with the cant of criminals, it still
Doodle" agrees in pronunciation with
the Dutch "boedel," signifying estate, pos
session, inheritance, household goods, stuff,
from which, SO the Century dictionary says,
it may have been taken in the Elizabethan
period in the general sense of the whole
German word ''beutel," signifying purse,
which corresponds, BY the way, with the
word "buddle' of the same sense sometimes
used in England. There is a Friesic word
"budel," denoting an estate, especially a
bankrupt estate. and there is also another
Dutch word "budel,'' meaning a pocket. |
The old English .'bottel,' siqnifyinga bun
die, is probably of the same family.
All these are cognate words and are either |
different forms of the same word or are
variations of common root. It is not
probable that the New York criminals,
among whom the word "boodle'' is first
found, got it from an English source. The |
meaning of ''buddle," as used by Mark |
ham, or of Doodle, as used by the Autocrat, |
was not sufficiently fruitful of criminal |
suggestions TO thieves and counterfeiters, |
although etymologists would find little diff.
fculty in establishing a family relation
tionship between the ''boodle'' of Holmes |
and the "boodle'' of city councilmen and |
other gentlemen of easy virtue. But thieves
are not troubled with genealogical nice
ties.
They take what they find, words as we'll
as Doodle, and the New York criminals
probably found in the Dutch boedel which
came to New Amsterdam with the Holland
ers, word which survived amid political
and linguistic transformation, preserved
its meaning, '.stuff," and finally found its
way into the criminal vocabulary and took
ON the technical meaning We have seen.
From this, like a river lost under ground,
it emerges when it is wanted. considerably
soiled it is true, but still most useful
member of the family pathological.
An examination of the Dutch influence
in New York will probably strengthen this
hypothesis of the origin of doodle" as we
use it. The word ''stoop" will be called to
mind by many. "Blickey," signifying in
New York and New Jersey tin pail.
"bocky," denotlng a vessel made from q
Gourd, Dutch word used only in New
York, while boss another significant
word originating in New York city politics,
Is probably only another form of the Dutch
kHA1 o1ry