Curious Kat writes:
Where does the word "dingbat" come from? it's one of my favorites.
While today the word "dingbat" is commonly understood to refer to only two things - stupid, flighty people and printers' characters - the first known use of the word is from 1838, when it was used to refer to an alcoholic drink. The word is of unknown origin, but belongs to the family of words we use when referring to something whose proper name is unknown: thingumabob, doohickey, gadget.
According to Dictionary.com, the word has, in its history, meant: "money," "a professional tramp," "a muffin," "a typographical ornament," "male genitalia," "a Chinese," "an Italian,""a woman who is neither your sister nor your mother," and "a foolish person in authority."
"Dingbat!"
"That's what she said!"
This inspired me to look up the recipe for said alcoholic drink.
ReplyDeleteApparently, a Mongolian Dingbat is one part white rum, one part coffee liqueur, and one part vanilla ice cream. You are welcome.