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by wickedwillie on May 5th, 2005

wickedwillie

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What's the origin of the term jaywalking?

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  • by 512souro on May 5th, 2005

    512souro

    Source : http://www.takeourword.com/et_h-j.html#jayw

    This one is a bit surprising! Jaywalker first entered American English in about 1917, and jay comes from a previous use of jay to describe a `bold or impudent person.' That is thought to come from (blue) jay, which is known to be a bold bird, teasing other animals and even humans as it does. The name of the bird originated before the 14th century as jai, likely from Latin Gaius, a proper name. It was the practice to name birds with proper names (robin, martin, etc.).

    Source : http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=j&p=1

    The word "Jay" is applied to humans in sense of "impertinent chatterer, flashy dresser" from 1623. Jaywalker is first attested 1916 in Amer.Eng. (supposedly originally in Boston), from notion of boldness and impudence.

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