Hooker has yet another meaning you might never have guessed: in various songs sung bt the lumbermen of the 18th century, there are numerous refrences to the hooker -- the man who swings the long pole with a hook at the end for grappling logs.

My favorite is from the Timberbeast's Lament: Oh the chokers will be heavy, Just as heavy, just as cold, When the hooker gives the highball And you start to dig for gold...

by the way, bless you, Barbara, but if you're still there, I still haven't been able to scrounge up all the words to "Lower the Yawl Boat Down."

Can anybody help me?