Terrible, terrible things

But enough about me. Let's talk about me.

CynLynn (Oops! "Curious in California") writes:

Galoot, where did you get the name Galoot? I mean, I really like it. Just wondering.

CynLynn, I've heard a rumor that you shouldn't use that word in polite company. Wash your mouth out! Someone told me in chat that "galoots" is Aussie slang for "testicles." You know. "Oi! That sally right kicked me in the galoots!"

It may be true because it's so unflattering.

Still...

Encarta defines the word as awkward person: somebody who is regarded as clumsy or thoughtless.

Other words associated with galoot are; "strange," "foolish," "uncouth," "disreputable," "unrefined," "eccentric" and "lummox" (my personal favorite).

No reputable dictionary gives an origin for the word but, being a galoot, I'll happily accept non-reputable etymologies if they're funny. One guess is that it comes from the Dutch word "gelubt" (eunuch), but that doesn't sound right. I can't even read music, much less play the eunuch.

But I think you were asking where *I* got it from. You know what? Who cares? It's my blog and I'm gonna tell you anyway.

I like old woodworking tools. I used to have a bunch, but now all I have left is an old bench plane of my grandpa's. One day, when trying to figure out how to restore it to working condition, I did a search on the Internet and discovered a community of other slope-headed old tool aficionados like myself. They call themselves "galoots."

It was the first Internet community I ever hooked up with. They're still active but I'm no longer with them because things change and I don't have time to shape chunks of wood these days. I adopted the name Galoot for myself, though, just in case someone with similar interests ever crossed my path and asked, "Say, do you collect old tools?" (Hi, Skunkboy.)




(This guy, Roy Underhill, is my galootish hero. He may be a eunuch.)

So.

By my definition, a galoot is someone who'd wrap a piece of cord around a stick, set it spinning, and call it a lathe. By anyone else's definition, a galoot would be a cheapskate who can't afford real power tools.

With any luck, this page will sink into the archives real quick, as it's the most boring entry in the blog so far. That'd be your fault, CynLynn.

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Keep the questions coming! Leave a comment and Ask Galoot - You've got questions, we've got geeky name badges from Radio Shack.