Hootenanny

[Dr. Goodword]

• hootenanny •

Pronunciation: hut-næ-ni • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: (Slang) 1. A thingamabob, thingamajig, or whatchamacallit. 2. Something insignificant, of little importance. 3. A folk music jam session.

Notes: The Oxford English Dictionary, known to collect every word that has ever appeared in English print, gives three spellings of this word: hootnanny, hootenanny, and hootananny. Those who use this word seem to have settled on the one above.

In Play: We probably owe this word's sense of "a folksong session" to Pete Seeger, who popularized it in the 30s. Due to the TV show of the 60s, Hootenanny, the third meaning is probably the most prominent: "Y'all bring your guitars when you come tonight and we'll have a good ol' timey hootenanny." Among older Southerners, you still hear this word used to refer to a thingamabob: "Well, I got the lawnmower back together, but I have this little hootenanny here left over. Do you know what it's for?"

Word History: No one seems to know where this word came from, which unfetters us to speculate. The word first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century in the sense of "doohickey, thingamabob". For the third meaning, I would bet on an old Southern expression, hoot 'na holler "a hoot and a holler", used now to refer to a small distance: "They live just a hoot 'na holler from here". However, my kin down South often refer to children making a lot of noise as "a-hootin' an' a-hollerin'". The interesting connection here is that the -in' an' reduces to the -enan- we find in the middle of hootenanny. It is imaginable that the hollerin' was dropped, leaving hootin' an' just a hoot and a holler from hootenany, lacking only the common English suffix -y.

[Slava]

I've never come across this one in other than meaning 3. A folk jam fest doesn't come to mind, either. I'm leaning toward a good ole hoe down, though they may be one and the same.

[LukeJavan8]

Nor I. Growing up thru the 60's, 70's, after the Beatnik 50's
it only means a guitar led song fest to me.

[Perry Lassiter]

I love the Sixties form of folk music, so I loved the short-lived (btw, is that a short or long I?) program, Hootnanny. PBS now has a musical Roots program that sometimes is quite good with jazz, buttwo thirds of the time, I could turn to the local country station.

[wurdpurrson]

I also vote for the third meaning. My little 0017 Martin guitar and I participated in many a hootenanny in the 60s and 70s, along with players of guitar, mandolin, banjo (both 4-string and 5-string long-neck), fiddle (!), dulcimer, lute, recorder, autoharp (Mother Maybelle style, of course), gut bucket, washboard and jug, crate drums, flute, spoons - whatever made a joyous noise was welcome - along with the singing and harmonizing, of course. Every party involved lots of homegrown music, incredible potlucks of good food, some wine and/or beer - and for some, a little dope (illegal and also homegrown, of course. The latter is now legal in my state of Washington, which might have very well taken some of the glamour from its use back in the post-Beatnik days). We played and sang current folk tunes, Appalachian/Scottish/Irish/Brit folk music, a bit of blues and country jazz. And we danced with abandon - is there any other way? Great memories and long-time friendships resulted.

[Slava]

Now that, wurdpurrson, is what I'd call a real hootenanny of a hoedown.

By the by, the hoe of hoedown does appear to be the hoe of gardening, as the dance moves in a hoedown reminded people of gestures common to farming.

[wurdpurrson]

Makes sense. I've known many who danced down the rows tending to their gardens. Nip some weeds there, deepen a moat around a plant here, stomp down some disturbed dirt at the end of a row, bend to tuck protective hills around an emerging potato, stretch and search for hidden beans or peas or tomatoes amongst the thicket of leaves. Nip a bit of sage or oregano to inhale the aromas. Then stop at the end of a row to survey all with satisfaction. Yup. Definitely a hoe-down.

[LukeJavan8]

Beautiful images.

[wurdpurrson]

Thanks. I do that dance all during the growing season as I glean lovely greens from my little potager garden outside my back door. It's so satisfying to just step out and gather dinner.

[misterdoe]

My little 0017 Martin guitar and I participated in many a hootenanny in the 60s and 70s, along with players of guitar, mandolin, banjo (both 4-string and 5-string long-neck), fiddle (!), dulcimer, lute, recorder, autoharp (Mother Maybelle style, of course), gut bucket, washboard and jug, crate drums, flute, spoons - whatever made a joyous noise was welcome - along with the singing and harmonizing, of course.

"Gut bucket" is an instrument?! I've only heard the word as an adjective, almost always paired with "blues." I took it to mean "raucous," fairly equivalent in attitude to the music that's usually played (on TV shows and movies anyway) in honky-tonks with the stage surrounded by chicken wire to protect the performers from flying... anything.

To my New York-bred ears, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr. were both bluesmen. "Country" blues is both country and blues. Awhile back I did a search in Youtube for "country funk" and was surprised that just about every result aside from one song by the Commodores was by "hillbilly" country artists. I checked a few of them out... and liked them!

[misterdoe]

I meant to add that I've also only heard this word as a synonym of hoedown. If I'd ever heard anyone use it to mean "thingamajig," I'd probably assume they were just trying to be funny.

[wurdpurrson]

Yes, misterdoe, a gut bucket is an instrument. It's an Appalachian answer to a bass fiddle but intended for strumming /plucking only, not bowing, made of an upside-down galvanized washtub, a broom handle and a piece of rope. Here's one website that gives more information:http://www.jugstore.com/washtub.html It's pretty amazing how much musical rhythm can come from such commonplace items. And fun, too.
I've not heard a hootenanny called a "thingamajig", however. That's something else entirely.

[Philip Hudson]

Speaking of non-standard instruments of music, while in the university my landlady's son was asked to provide some entertainment for a boy scout assembly. I put together a jug band for him and his troop. It was the talk of the town. But it was a very small town.

[wurdpurrson]

Nothing like a small town jug band to stir the common soul! I salute you.

[misterdoe]

Yes, misterdoe, a gut bucket is an instrument... made of an upside-down galvanized washtub, a broom handle and a piece of rope.

Hmm... I've seen pictures of that. I just didn't know the name.