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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007Baghdaddy
Hi. I'm Wojtek from Poland.What means word "baghdaddy".I saw this word on t-shirts U.S. troops in Iraq.Could You help me? Regards Wojtek > I'm Wojtek from Poland.What means word "baghdaddy".I saw this word on > t-shirts U.S. troops in Iraq.Could You help me? On the face of it the word appears to be a portmanteau of "Baghdad" and "daddy". I don't know its specific significance on the T-shirts, but would guess someone so identifying himself as a 'Baghdad daddy' to be a soldier with a family. ("Daddy" is primarily a childish diminutive meaning father, but it also has some currency in slangy expressions--cf. "sugar daddy"--hence my uncertainty.)  SignatureOdysseus Is the word "baghdaddy" really a portmanteau? dwjo >> I'm Wojtek from Poland.What means word "baghdaddy".I saw this word on >> t-shirts U.S. troops in Iraq.Could You help me? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > meaning father, but it also has some currency in slangy expressions--cf. > "sugar daddy"--hence my uncertainty.) > Is the word "baghdaddy" really a portmanteau? Why don't you look up "portmanteau word" in a dictionary? You can start here: <http://www.onelook.com/?w=portrmanteau+word&ls=a>. I did but the word doesn't seem to fit the definition of 'portmanteau'. dwjo >> Is the word "baghdaddy" really a portmanteau? > > Why don't you look up "portmanteau word" in a dictionary? You can > start here: <http://www.onelook.com/?w=portrmanteau+word&ls=a>. [top-posting repaired; c'mon, fella] > >> Is the word "baghdaddy" really a portmanteau? > > > > Why don't you look up "portmanteau word" in a dictionary? You can > > start here: <http://www.onelook.com/?w=portrmanteau+word&ls=a>. Well, let's give it a try. Here's the definition of "portmanteau word" from AHD4 online: "A word formed by merging the sounds and meanings of two different words, as chortle, from chuckle and snort." <http://www.bartleby.com/61/91/P0459100.html>. Okay, is "Baghdaddy" formed by merging the sounds of two different words? It certainly appears so. The sound of "Badhdad" and ths sound of "daddy" are merged into one word. Does it merge the meanings of two different words? The meaning of "Baghdad" and the meaning of "daddy" are both essential to an understanding of the word. If that sin't a portmanteau, I don't know what is. Maybe you were misled by the fact that the portemanteau word contains the entire text and sound of each of its two component words, unlike the likes of "chortle." But nothing in the definition requires that less than the entirety of the two component words appear in the resulting word. Nor does the overlap matter. In "slithy," which is one of Humpty Dumpty's examples in TTLGAWAFT, the letters "li" come from both component words, "slimy" and "lithe." If we could contact the shade of Lewis Carroll and ask his opinion, I'm confident he'd agree. If that doesn't to it, nothing will. SignatureBob Lieblich Who cannot begin to guess what Mark Wallace would have said > [top-posting repaired; c'mon, fella] > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > If that doesn't to it, nothing will. Thank you for your explanation. As for your 'friend' Wallace; He disappeared for a second time. Current place of residence: Strafgevangenis (State Penitentiary) in Groningen, The Netherlands. Estimated duration of stay: 6 years. Destroyed one English Newsgroup while enjoying his short parole. Currently unable to express himself - stay healthy and don't bother the guessing. dwjo [ ... ] > As for your 'friend' Wallace; He disappeared for a second time. Current > place of residence: Strafgevangenis (State Penitentiary) in Groningen, The > Netherlands. Estimated duration of stay: 6 years. Destroyed one English > Newsgroup while enjoying his short parole. Currently unable to express > himself - stay healthy and don't bother the guessing. "Bother the guessing"? I'm drooling in anticipation. Is there anything on the Web that discusses this. Is there something you can tell us without going beyond what you think proper? ObAEU -- It's properly "bother guessing" without the article. But that's hardly the point, is it? SignatureBob Lieblich EMReallyWTK > [ ... ] > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > anything on the Web that discusses this. Is there something you can > tell us without going beyond what you think proper? Not on the Web. Learn Dutch and read the NRC (Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant - Rotterdam Daily News) of November 12, 2006. Proper? He (Wallace) went surely beyond what people think is proper... dwjo Thank You and have a nice week:) > > I'm Wojtek from Poland.What means word "baghdaddy".I saw this word on > > t-shirts U.S. troops in Iraq.Could You help me? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would guess someone so identifying himself as a 'Baghdad daddy' to be a > soldier with a family. ("Daddy" is primarily a childish diminutive and a pun on Baghdadi / Baghdady (i.e. arabic ba*gh*da:diyy) "someone or something from Baghdad" > meaning father, but it also has some currency in slangy expressions--cf. > "sugar daddy"--hence my uncertainty.) |
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