TUCKER

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7417
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

TUCKER

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:28 am

• tucker •

Pronunciation: têk-ê(r) • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, Noun

Meaning: 1. (Verb; US Regional slang) To tire completely, to exhaust, to fully wear out. 2. (Noun; Australian slang) Food.

Notes: Every now and then we like to toss in a popular slang or regional term and today we have just the word for that category: tucker as in "plumb tuckered out". This phrase is still moderately common down South, especially in the Southwest. Plumb in that phrase is just as interesting. Anything that is plumb is absolutely vertical, perfectly aligned, so it is easy to see how in some areas it became a synonym of absolutely and perfectly.

In Play: In addition to a geographical region where this word is heard, there is a generational region as well. Those of us in the upper age levels will be heard saying things like: "I don't like riding these new-fangled bicycles that don't even have wheels because they tucker me out something awful and I don't even get anywhere!" In Australia, you might hear something like this: "Tucker tucked away almost all the tucker before the party began."

Word History: A tucker was someone who finished woven materials by stretching them on tenters. Tuckers 'tucked', that is, stretched to the limit, newly woven cloth before putting it on sale. 'Plumb tuckered out' would be the state of someone who had just been stretched to their limit, as though on a rack. (Today's Good Word is dedicated to one of my childhood heroes, actor George 'Gabby' Hayes [1885-1969], pictured at the left, who often found himself "plumb tuckered out" from supporting the leading man in the 190 mostly western movies he played in.)
• The Good Dr. Goodword

MTC
Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 1104
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:40 am
Location: Pasadena

Re: TUCKER

Postby MTC » Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:28 am

Stories behind the word "procrustean" and the idiom "on tenter hooks" spring to mind.

Procrustes, of course, is the mythical robber who stretched his victims over a bed frame giving rise to the meaning, "producing conformity to an arbitrary standard through violent means."

While "on tenter hooks" refers to hooks on wooden frames used to stretch cloth, giving rise to the meaning "in a state of tension or uncomfortable suspense." It appears this is essentially the same process which produced "all tuckered out."

All under the same tent, you might say. If that's not stretching the truth...
Last edited by MTC on Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 4423
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Re: TUCKER

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:40 pm

To say nothing of boys and men given the name Tucker,
among them Former VP Gore's son.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8040
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: TUCKER

Postby Slava » Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:47 pm

Here's Gabby:
gabby.gif
gabby.gif (9.31 KiB) Viewed 12034 times
Let's not forget that Procrustes went both ways. He stretched or squeezed and cut off as he desired.
Last edited by Slava on Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

User avatar
bamaboy56
Lexiterian
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:20 pm
Location: The Deep South

Re: TUCKER

Postby bamaboy56 » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:15 pm

Being born and raised in Texas and now hailing from the Deep South, I have heard "being plumb tuckered out" all my life. Say that down here and everyone immediately knows you're exhausted, usually in the physical sense.
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Re: TUCKER

Postby Philip Hudson » Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:11 am

Do any of you elderly folks remember the Tucker automobile? Scams are not anything new. According to Drew Pearson the first demo model would not run unless it was pushed down a ramp. And the "inventor" was poised to make millions from investors. At least one evil scheme got scotched. Alas, no! The existing Tucker models sell at a very high price. Sort of like the Spruce Goose.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 4423
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Re: TUCKER

Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:47 pm

Rode in a Tucker one time. Forgot all about it til you mentioned
it.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8040
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Re: TUCKER

Postby Slava » Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:23 pm

Do any of you elderly folks remember the Tucker automobile? Scams are not anything new. According to Drew Pearson the first demo model would not run unless it was pushed down a ramp. And the "inventor" was poised to make millions from investors. At least one evil scheme got scotched. Alas, no! The existing Tucker models sell at a very high price. Sort of like the Spruce Goose.
It's a bit before my time, but quite coincidentally there's a write up about them in the current Smithsonian magazine. The last one sold went for $2.9 million.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

Perry Lassiter
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 3333
Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
Location: RUSTON, LA
Contact:

Re: TUCKER

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:13 pm

No wonder they weren't so popular!
pl

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 4423
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Re: TUCKER

Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:43 pm

It's a bit before my time, but quite coincidentally there's a write up about them in the current Smithsonian magazine. The last one sold went for $2.9 million.

Thanks for mentioning it, I am about 3 mos. behind in
my reading.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

User avatar
bamaboy56
Lexiterian
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:20 pm
Location: The Deep South

Re: TUCKER

Postby bamaboy56 » Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:44 pm

The Tucker automobile was just a little before my time. Your mention of it here piqued my curiosity so I Googled it. Fascinating! Not a bad looking car, either. I've seen some old cars at various car shows but have never seen a Tucker. I was really intrigued to read that the inventor also built what is known as the Tucker Combat Vehicle (complete with turret) but was not accepted by the military because, among other things, it was "too fast". Wonder why I've never seen one of these before.
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Semrush [Bot] and 50 guests