THE CAT'S PAJAMAS XXIII

Tad Tuleja

A collection of the (mostly) true origins of familiar phrases

HOBO

Hobo is an American slang term dating from the 1890's, when recession forced many workers onto the roads. It seems to have originated among former slaves, and to have passed into general working-class jargon by the 1910's. The slave connection suggests an African background, and evidence from folklore bears this out. In a series of folktales from the Gambia River basin - a major loading point for American slaves - Hooboo is the name of a legendary, wandering ghost. Some tales depict him as a former king who loses his influence and his possessions through sorcery. Others say he was a noted singer who challenged the wind demons to a yelling match and was reduced to tatters in the encounter. Whatever his crime, the tales agree that Hooboo dresses in threadbare, parti-colored clothing and that he must depend on strangers for his meals. In West Africa, then as now, it was considered wise to help the homeless in his name.