Our recent snowfall and watching the kiddies wrapping up and getting out their sleds made me remember a pet peeve I have. I hate it when people use the word "toboggin" for the knitted, wool cap they wear. A toboggin is a light sled used for transport over snow. According to my OED the word was Canadian French, "tabaganne", taken from an Algonquin word. There are closely similar variations found in other Native American words. I have not found (or haven't so far) the origin of the word "boggin" for a knitted, wool cap. I'm going to have to dig a little deeper, unless someone out there has a reference source for it. I am aware of the word as Scottish slang for messy or smelly, and other similar adjectives. But when did it become a name for a knitted cap?
44 comments:
I always thought a toboggin was a sled thing, lol never new it was a hat.
In the UK we use Tobogganing, not that we have much opportunity, I have looked for Boggin but cannot find any history relating to it.
Yasmin
In my neck of the woods, they're talking of a bobbin jumper or hat, meaning that it's knitted.
Interesting entry but here in south texas we wouldn't know much about anything to be used concerning snow. Haven't had a real snow since 1985. Paula
That's a new one for me too. Hmmm, if I come up with something, I'll let ya know. :)
http://journals.aol.com/lattedah711/lattedah/ Tracy
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I hadn't heard it called a toboggin until I married my hubby who is from the
south and it always irritated me.I think maybe somebodys momma said wear the hat that you wear when you go toboggiing -hence 'The Toboggining Hat'.[[Toboggin]]
Well-'anyway'..........It's a thought,LOL
connie
Well I'm from the south and my Mom always called it a "soogin' (oo as in look not soon). Don't know why...Sheila
I googled and it brought me to Wikipedia. It stated that the knitted wool cap, in the United States, may be called any of the following:
beanie, knit hat, knit cap, sock cap, stocking cap, toboggan, boggan, skull cap, skully, warm winter hat, ski capor, or ski cap depending on the region.
Here is your reference page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beanie
Scroll down until you get to where it says "knit variety". This is clearly the knitted wool cap that many wear in the US. I know it is called a toboggan particularly in North Carolina after researching on the web. I am not sure where else in the US.
Hope that helped! Now where it ORIGINALLY came from I have NO idea. I am wondering if it came from another language, or if somebody thought it looked like a toboggan, and just decided to call it that, LOL! However, it IS proper usage in US.
Krissy :)
http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink
Good question. My husband calls knitted winter hats toboggins. I had never ever heard that before. I grew up in MA where a toboggin was a sled.
Traci
my mon always called the hat a boggin and I also call it a boggin, I am 60, my mom would have been 88 and she was raised in Kentucky, if that helps with the quest.
I am also trying to get to the bottom of this mystery. My family says "tobaggin" for a hat as well. They are from Eastern Kentucky and as far as I can tell no one outside of Kentucky seems to use the word this way.
In West Virginia, my grandmother always said, "Make sure you put on your Toboggin '!
She said it, so I say it.
I believe that the word has 2 meanings.
What it means to you should be all meanings applied to your region.
Deal?
Deal!
The name "boggin" came from the fact that the wool hat totally messes up anyone's hair if worn for any length of time. This was always the talk of everyone when I was growing up in Washington State winters. Everyone wore one back in the 40s, 50s and 60s, and messy hair was always the joke of the day after those things were removed. Friends across the border in British Columbia called the hat a "tooc" (as it is still called today up there)and they also made a fuss about the messy hair it causes. It was often called a "Head condom" by teens.
I know in Georgia it is called a boggin. I can guess at its origins, though it is just a guess. I think it may have started as a toboggining cap, and eventually shortened to a boggin.
A wool knit cap is a tuke.
I'm from Alabama and I've always heard the knit winter cap called a toboggan. My fiance, who is from California, recently informed me that a toboggan is a sled. Never heard that before but according to my research, toboggan sleds go all the back to the 1840s. Tobaggan caps as they were originally called go all the back to 1928 or 29, because its the type of cap you would wear while riding the sled. Eventually the cap part was dropped to be simply a toboggan.
Thank you to Phillip (and to everyone else for the input). I guess I'll just have to get used to it being called a "toboggan" by some. We always called the cap a boggan, but I'm sure that was shortened from toboggan at some point or another. And I'm from Kentucky.
Well my fiance calls the caps or hats, beanies. But what I call a beanie is like a toboggan but one of those that has a brim or bill on it. I don't wear those, I think they're just kind of weird looking lol. But I've heard the word boggan as well. I've just always figured it was an abbreviation of sorts or a slang word. My fiance and I are always clashing on what things are really called lol California is a whole other universe from the South. Don't even get me started on the 4 wheeler or quad, and BBQ or grill debates lol sheesh!
I grew up in North Alabama, and a knit hat was always called a boggin. Never toboggan, but simply boggin.
I'm glad to see this post is still getting read and receiving comments now and then. Who would have thought?!? Thank you everyone!
I grew up in N.C. and we always called the knit hat a "boggin" or toboggan too. I always thought it was strange that the sled had the same name.
I grew up in LA (lower Alabama) and we called them soogins.
I grew up in Southeast/South Central Alabama and we called them soogins too. Now, where did the term soogin come from?
First of all, why is (almost) everyone here spelling the toboggan (sled) with an “i”? (as in “toboggin.”) Where I come from (Maryland), I grew up spelling it with an “a.” My American Heritage Dictionary - as well as my email spell-check and Wiktionary -- also spell it with an “a.”
Secondly, although I never heard of a winter/knit hat being called this, it’s not exactly rocket science to figure out that it’s called that because it’s what you wear when you go tobogganing! Hence this, from Wiktionary: "The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.[1]"
Pookie, I believe you are right and toboggan should be spelled with an "a." I have found sources online and in print where it was spelled with an "i." That is how I was taught to spell it. But "a" is correct, and I Stand Corrected.
No, it is not rocket science to see the connection between the sled and the knitted hat one wears while sledding. But if you read the other comments you'll see that some people had never heard of the cap being called a toboggAn or boggan (boggin).
I am willing to accept that boggan has been used as a name for the knitted cap since 1929. I have enjoyed all the comments from people sharing what words they used where they are from to designate "sled" and "knitted wool cap." It has made for a nice little exchange.
I still cringe when I hear someone use the word toboggan for the cap, because I always picture a sled when I hear that word. This was meant as just a simple little post, expressing my curiosity and interest in the two words and soliciting comment about them. Thank you for your comment.
Boggin here in N Alabama
lol...toboggan here in Tennessee and "watch cap" in the Marine Corps. After coming home from the service I've used the term "watch cap" and was looked upon like I just landed from Saturn. Corrected my grammar with the term "toboggan" and was back in good standing with the community.
We we were young we were taught that you called anything you used to slide downhill after it snowed a "SLED" and the hat that kept your head warm a "TOBOGGAN"
I am from New Orleans originally and we never called these hats "toboggans". I live in central Alabama now and I cannot stand how everyone uses this term. When I first moved here I felt like I was taking crazy pills because, although I had never actually come in contact with any toboggans due to the complete lack of snow in N.O., I knew it didn't make any sense. Everyone spoke so confidently and casually using this term very frequently.
It's called a stocking cap... End of discussion. Oh and pookie...if it's " not rocket science" to figure out why it's called that...why'd you have to go look it up? Toboggin baby...with an I...I'm spelling it like that from now on just to spite you.
My uncle from ky always called it a sock boggin.
I was born and raised in the South Western part of Virginia not far from KY and TN and we grew up calling them boggans as did our parents and grandparents. I've been all over the map and most people look at me confused and awkwardly when I say boggan outside of the southern states. I always assumed it was just one of those dialectical differences like when people from Massachusetts say bubbla they're talkn about a water fountain to drink from. We have a large variety of slang words in the south Yanks just don't seem to understand like the term paper poke or yonder....say either of the two and Yanks look like their heads are bout to explode...or the term yin's...lmao. there's also yander and y'ant too ( pronounced y'aunt too)... aight...and we're huge on double negatives, ain't got none or don't want none...ain't never... ain't no....words like crick, lectric/letric...worsh instead of wash... malarkey... poppycock...wutchya instead of what have you, wutchya been up to?...boggan jist faws right in ta place wi the rest ovem...lol I'm sure some folks jist don't git it... it's not so much as where it came from as it is in whether or not ye understand what it means. Least wise that's how we always seent it . Ifn I had ta take guess at I reckon I'd say it was a loan word from God only knows where like most of the other words in the English language specially the Merican variety.
Always have called them 'boggins. At some time in my past, it had been called something like taboggin, but I had issues pronouncing it.
Southeastern Kentuckians call it a boggin. May have to do with wearing a boggin hat while sledding on a toboggin?
Southeastern Kentuckians call it a sock boggin. I’ve lived here since 1977 and that’s what I’ve heard it called. May have to do with wearing this type of hat while sledding on a toboggin?
Southeastern Kentuckians call it a sock boggin. I’ve lived here since 1977 and that’s what I’ve heard it called. May have to do with wearing this type of hat while sledding on a toboggin?
@Jeff, "sock boggin" I haven't heard before, but yeah, I would assume it came from being worn while toboggining.
I love that this post is still getting responses!
Thank you go everyone who has contributed a comment.
It's getting to be "boggin-wearing" weather here in Kentuckiana again -- but no snow yet!
Lol im here because im from West Ga close to Alabama and i call the hat a Boggan. In Augusta Ga everyone thinks im THE ONLY person to call it that
I'm so happy that this post is still getting so much traffic lol. Thank you for the above comment. No, you are NOT alone lol, and you can show them this post to prove it!
Growing up in the country west of Central Ohio we used the terms "sled" for something to slide down hill on snow and Toboggan for the knit hats that kept us warm. Everyone outside of my hometown thinks I am nuts so good to see this thread
You would be probably be correct. :)
I'm 43 and grew up in northeast Georgia. I always thought a person was a foreigner if they didn't know what a boggin'was haha. All I've ever heard em called by.
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