These Academics They Are a Funny Lot

I have a page on the origin of the London slang word kite, (see Kite You Are) where I scoff at academic etymologists for missing the obvious – obvious to me in any case.

Now I have another: the word hassle. Dictionaries seem to agree that this word originates in showbiz and appeared around about 1946. They then try to make sense of it by putting together bits of ancient English words long since obsolete.

Hold on a second, brainboxes. Showbiz? Hmmm, doesn’t that suggest a lingua franca or polari link? And aren’t a lot of lingua franca and polari words derived from Italian? And isn’t an Italian word meaning much the same thing as hassle, assillo? Pronounced not that much different from hassle.

I’m not saying for sure that I am right, for the truth is that I don’t know, probably no one knows for sure, but I am saying that it sounds like a strong contender for consideration.

I dunno, these bloody academics. And they get paid more than I do too!