The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #118258 Message #2558981
Posted By: Azizi
06-Feb-09 - 09:58 AM
Thread Name: 'Sugar' and 'Azucar' in songs and folklore
Subject: RE: Origins: Sucu Sucu
In my 05 Feb 09 - 08:02 PM post to this thread, I shared my opinion that the African American vernacular phrase "ah sookie sookie" has its source in the Spanish word "azucar" {meaning "sugar"} and/or the Spanish song/dance name "suca suca".
And in my 05 Feb 09 - 08:37 PM post to this thread, I shared my opinion that the nicknames "Shug" and "Suge" come from the word "sugar" and are therefore related at least in meaning to the Spanish word "azucar" and the Spanish phrase "suca suca".
In this post, I focus on the nickname "Snooky".
A number of African American Blues or Jazz musicians were called by the nickname "Snooky". Among them were American blues harp player Snooky Pyor {Edward James Pyror} and American hazz trumpeter Eugene "Snooky" Young. In addition, see this excerpt from "Jazz Anecdotes" by Bill Crow:
"Eugene Cole was called "Snooky" ever since he was given that name by childhood playmates".
The nickname "Snooky" is also given to females. One famous example is the Filipina film and television actress Snooky Serna {born Milagros Ocampo Serna on April 4, 1966}.
That the nickname "Snooky" is still used can be easily determined by searching Internet search engines and online Myspace pages.
I happen to know one 30ish African American male who still goes by the childhood name "Snooky" that was given to him by his mother.
It's very difficult for me to believe that the nickname "Snooky" has anything what so ever to do with the meanings that I have found online for the words "snook", "snooker", and "Snooky".
See this definition for "snooker":
"a variety of pool played with 15 red balls and 6 balls of colors other than red, in which a player must shoot one of the red balls, each with a point value of 1, into a pocket before shooting at one of the other balls, with point values of from 2 to 7.
—v.t.
Slang.to deceive, cheat, or dupe: to be snookered by a mail order company"
http://dictionary.infoplease.com/snooker
-snip-
The definitions given in http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Snooky and http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snooks for "Snooky" and "Snook" are:
"Snooky-someone who displays jackass tendencies. derived from the verb (UK) snooks; a fool or jackass.", "snooky-A booger. Otherwise known as a piece of snot clogged in the hair of a persons' nasal canal" and "snooks-the act of sucker-punching someone", "(to snook) to victimize (UK); (to be snooked) to be victimized (UK)".
-snip-
Instead of those definitions, in my opinion, "Snooky" is a term of affection. I believe that this nickname, and the closely related nickname "Snookums" are derived from the word "sooky"/"sookie" . And, as I've previously indicated, I believe that the word "sookie" comes from the Spanish word for sugar "azucar" and/or the Spanish phrase "sucu sucu".
In other words, "Snooky", and "Snookums" should be acknowledged as legitimate members of the large family of sugar nicknames for people {both males and females}. Among those sugar nicknames are "Sugar", "Sugarbee", "Honeybee", "Sugarlump", "Sweetie", "Honey",and "Honeyman".
The phrase sugar daddy takes the use of the sugar reference to a whole 'nuther level.