kristynbot,
Thanks for a very interesting question. There appears to be several
different ideas as to the origin of the saying "23 skidoo". One
source says the "skiddoo" part is probably from "skedaddle" which
means to move with haste. The word skiddoo first appeared in print in
1903. The 23 part, however, is not so clear. One common idea is that
at 23rd Street and Broadway, by the Flatiron Building (at one time,
the tallest building in the world), there would be wind gusts that
would blow ladies skirts in the air and men would hang out in that
area, hoping to catch a glimpse of this "phenomenon" and the police
would tell them "Twenty Three Skiddoo" to get them to leave. Problem
with this theory is that the saying is traced back to before the
Flatiron Building, which was the cause of these drafts, was built.
Another idea is that the saying comes from Morse code. During the
time when Morse was the primary mode of long distance communication,
telegraph operators used numbers to abbreviate common phrases.
Examples of some that are still with us today are "30", which meant
end of transmission, which is used today at the end of press releases
(see https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=83212
for information) and "73" which meant best regards and is still used
today by amateur radio operators. "23" was short for "Away with you"
and very well may be the true origin.
Another theory is that Skidoo from skids and 23 from 23rd street that
had ferries and depots for 80 percent of the railroads leaving New
York. Yet another idea, from “Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?” by
David Feldman, Harper & Row: “Why is the only number you see before
skidoo 23? Who would have thought that this breezy bit of slang has
lofty roots? It does, in Charles Dickens ‘Tale of Two Cities.’ The
hero of this sad novel is Sidney Carton, who is the twenty-third of a
multitude executed by the guillotine."
And yet, even more ideas from
http://ftp.cs.indiana.edu/pub/oracle/09/0988 :
" -- The unit of currency in the remote South American tribe of
Umchataqua is a "Skidos," plural Skidoo. 23 Skidoo is the fixed market
price of a full-body massage from the tribe chieftan.
-- In 1604, 23 Japanese men were prosecuted for allegedly stealing
the Emperor's trousers while he was sleeping. All the men proclaimed
their innocence, saying that the Emperor surely would have woken
upwith 46 hands grabbing at his pants. The group, originally from the
village of Skidu (which was renamed shortly after the incident),were
known as the "Skidu 23." Publically exclaiming "23 Skidu" was
considered a sign of protest, and punishable by death."
So, the answer to your question is there is no definitive answer, but
it sure was fun learning the different theories.
Thanks again for your question and I hope you find the above
information helpful. If you need any additional clarification, please
let me know.
Regards,
-THV
Search Strategy:
23-skiddoo origin
23 skidoo origin
References:
The Phrase Finder
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/4/messages/811.html
Word Detective
http://www.word-detective.com/020798.html
Miriam Webster - The Lighter Side of Words
http://www.m-w.com/lighter/cool/coolocta.htm
23Skidoo.com
http://www.23skiddo.com/
What's the meaning of this?
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/meanings.htm |
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