#Words
Ah, we pay dearly for lack of due diligence… I, too, observed the
reference to the German "hoker", but omitted it for lack of an umlaut. My
1936 edition of Websters alluded to the English influence of "hawker
falconer" and — Hey! I know this is Hot News & Rumors, but while there's
no news from the Bahamas yet, why not??? — anyway, as I was saying, your
erudition exceeds my own, and I like your "hock = corruption of hawk/
clearing the throat" theory. Although, from a strictly onomatopoetical
standpoint, "hock" seems a bit too terse, while "hawk" has more gutteral
possibilities for the expression of violent stomachic ejection.
As the Church Lady might say, "My, aren't we being PEEEEE-DANTIC today?"
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Sean Hannon
Ad Rats – Stamford, CT