Gee, Thanks

I lost out on hosting Thanksgiving this year. I did it the last two years and loved it. Last year I had 26 family members and made two turkeys plus the stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, veggies, etc. Everything came out great and it was fun, too! But this year my cousin hi-hoseyed* it, so I just get to make an appetizer. Phooey. And, before you suggest it, it won't be the same to do it again sometime in December, because Mom and Dad will be back to Florida by then.

*When I went to type this word, I realized that I had no idea how to spell it. Here's what American Heritage says under "hosey":

Regional Note: Children in New England, especially in the Boston area, use the expression I hosey when they are choosing sides for a game. The Boston Globe asked readers about it in late 1987 and received responses from Boston; Belmont, Massachusetts; New Hampshire; and Maine. Its users agree that it is a children's expression but are unsure of its origin—some think that it derives from a pronunciation of choose with a heavy Irish brogue. Another possible origin of the expression is French-Canadian choisir, "to choose."

Growing up, I'm pretty sure we always said "hi-hosey" (or maybe that should be "high-hosey"), not "I-hosey." And it wasn't just for choosing sides; you could hi-hosey the front seat or the last popsicle or whatever.

Comments

[Jack]

That is a new comment to me. I have never heard it before, but even if I had, with those funny accents you have I might not have understood it. ;)

[Kirsty]

Never heard of it either. It's 'bagsy' over here!

[Deborah]

Thank you so much for posting this. Tonight I said to my husband that I was hi-hoseying something (the cell phone charger to be exact)and his response was "what?" "hi-hosey" "what?" "HI-HOSEY!!!" When he told me he had never heard the phrase, I thought he was kidding. So I googled it and your posting was one of only two references... and you only posted it a few weeks ago. How amusing to find out after all these years that it's just a New England thing. Thanks for doing the research in the American Heritage. Now, while I'm here, I think I'll check out your book group selection and other postings. God I love the internet.

[Lynn Boulger]

I am from Boston, mother was first generation American of French Canadian parents and my guess is that it came from French Canadians, I choose in French is Je choissis. The mix of languages for immigrants: "I" in English would have been aspirated like "hi" and Choissis said (with an English accent) quickly on a game field or play ground may have indeed sounded like "Hi Hosey"