22 March 2024

good riddance

Although I have heard the phrase "good riddance" used negatively - "He lost his reelection bid and good riddance to him" - the phrase really means to happily get rid of something that is considered worthless. I suppose in that example the speaker does consider it happy and the loser as worthless. 

It is often used as an exclamation to indicate that a departure or loss is welcome. For example, "We got rid of lots of old clothing we never wear and good riddance to it." 

It is often used as a standalone exclamation - "Good riddance!" but the original full saying is "good riddance to bad rubbish."

We don’t use the word "riddance" anymore, apart from in the phrase "good riddance." Riddance is an obsolete word, but in Early Modern English it was a regular and useful word.

The phrase originated in William Shakespeare's 1609 play Troilus and Cressida. The word "riddance" itself has been recorded since 1525–35, and means the act of clearing away or out, as anything undesirable, or relief or deliverance from something.

Rid + ance is Middle English but Middle English it comes from Old Norse rythja which meant "to clear" and described clearing land of trees and undergrowth. This gave rise to ‘free from rubbish or encumbrances’, later becoming generalized as "good riddance to bad rubbish." 



The Arrow of Deliverance, print, after Arthur Murch, Dalziel Brothers


18 March 2024

moxie and Moxie

As a word, "moxie" means something like "energy, determination, spunk, courage, nerve, spirit, or guts". This term has been around since the 1930s and has continued in use, to some extent, into the early 21st century. "That girl has got moxie!"



I thought to look for an origin when I came across on Netflix the film MOXiE!, a 2021 American young adult comedy-drama film directed by Amy Poehler. 

But Moxie with a capital "M" is a brand of carbonated beverage that is among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was originally marketed as "nerve food" which would "strengthen the nervous system" and was "very healthful" and a "drink for athletes" that "strengthens and invigorates" - hence its slang usage. 

It was created around 1876 by Augustin Thompson as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food" and was produced in Lowell, Massachusetts. Thompson claimed that it contained an extract from a rare, unnamed South American plant, which is now known to be gentian root. Thompson claimed that he named the beverage after Lieutenant Moxie, a purported friend of his, who he claimed had discovered the plant and used it as a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases (a panacea). 

Moxie soda, full logo.svg
from the 1922 ad "The Moxie Boy compels attention..."
Public Domain, Link

Etymologies say it likely derived from an Abenaki word that means "dark water" and that is found in lake and river names in Maine, where Thompson was born and raised. 

The sweet soda is similar to root beer, with a bitter aftertaste and it is flavored with gentian root extract, an extremely bitter substance commonly used in herbal medicine.

Moxie was designated the official soft drink of Maine in 2005 and continues to be regionally popular today, particularly in New England states, and is even available on Amazon. Moxie was purchased by The Coca-Cola Company in 2018.




13 March 2024

The 13th Floor Elevators


The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969 and released four albums and seven singles. 

They were the first band to refer to their music as "psychedelic rock." The first-known use of the term to describe a musical style was on the band's business card in January 1966.

 The band's electric jug player Tommy Hall added a musical element you would never expect in a psychedelic rock band. Hall was also the band's lyricist.

The band's name developed from a suggestion by drummer John Ike Walton to use the name "Elevators". Clementine Hall added "13th Floor" because many tall buildings in the US lack a designated 13th floor as it is considered to be superstitiously unlucky and tenants would not want to live on that floor. Of course, these buildings do have a 13th floor but the elevator numbers skip from 12 to 14. Sometimes it is also noted that the letter "M" (for marijuana) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet.

Their original albums are collectibles but most of their material is available on several best of compilations such 13 of the Best 13th Floor Elevators. Their debut single "You're Gonna Miss Me", a national Billboard No. 55 hit in 1966, was featured on the 1972 compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968