23 skidoo (sometimes 23 skiddoo) is an American slang phrase popularized in the early twentieth century, first appearing before World War I and becoming popular in the Roaring Twenties. It generally refers to leaving quickly. One nuance of the phrase suggests being rushed out by someone else. Another is taking advantage of a propitious opportunity to leave, that is, "getting [out] while the getting's good." 23 Skidoo is an American slang popularized in the early Twentieth Century (first appearing before World War I and becoming popular in the Roaring Twenties). ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... A scene typical of the Follies of Florenz Ziegfeld, the most popular Broadway impresario of the decade. ...

Wentworth and Flexner describe it as "perhaps the first truly national fad expression and one of the most popular fad expressions to appear in the U.S." They say "Pennants and arm-bands at shore resorts, parks, and county fairs bore either [23] or the word 'Skiddoo.'"^[1]

There are several stories suggesting the origin of the phrase, none that has been universally accepted. Cartoonist "TAD" (Thomas A. Dorgan) is credited by The New York Times in his obituary as "First to say 'Twenty-three, Skidoo.'" ^[2] Thomas A. Dorgan (April 29, 1877[citation needed] - May 2, 1929[1])(Thomas Aloysius Dorgan, Tad Dorgan, TAD) was an American cartoonist who signed his drawings as TAD. He is credited with coining more popular words and expressions than anyone else. ...

One source says that baseball player Mike Donlin and comedian Tom Lewis created the expression as part of their vaudeville act.^[3] Categories: Stub | 1878 births | 1933 deaths | St. ...

Another source of the term has been rumored to come from the area around the Flatiron Building on 23rd street in NYC. Apparently, winds would swirl around the building and in the roaring 20's groups of men would gather to watch women walk by with their skirts being blown up by the winds. The police would then ask the men to break-it-up and leave... hence the term 23 skidoo. However the Flatiron building was completed in 1902 and the slang phrase "23" was already in use, see below. For other uses, see Flatiron Building (disambiguation). ...

An article in the June 26, 1906 New York American credits the phrase to one Patsey Marlson, then a former jockey hauled into court on a misdemeanor charge. At his hearing, Marlson is asked by the judge how the expression came about. He explains that when he was a jockey, he worked at a track called Sheepshead Bay. The track only had room for 22 horses to start in a line. If a 23rd horse was added, the long shot would be lined up behind the 22 horses on the front line. Apparently, "23 skidoo" implied that if the horse in the back was to have any chance of winning, it would really have to run very hard. Marlson also says in the article that the expression was originally "23, skidoo for you." is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Sheepshead Bay is a bay separating the mainland of Brooklyn, New York City from the eastern portion of Coney Island, the latter originally a barrier island but now effectively an extension of the mainland with peninsulas both east and west. ...

Webster's New World Dictionary derives skiddoo (with two d's) as probably from skedaddle, meaning "to leave", with an imperative sense. Compact school and office edition, 1967 Websters New World Dictionary of the American Language is an American dictionary first published in 1951 and presently published by John Wiley & Sons. ...

1899 Example

In 1899, popular slang author George Ade explained the new slang "twenty-three." The story appeared in the October 22, 1899 Washington Post and was reprinted in many other newspapers: Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Kate Martin(February 9, 1866 - May 16, 1944) was an American writer, newspaper columnist, and playwright. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... ...

“By the way, I have come upon a new piece of slang within the past two months and it has puzzled me. I just heard it from a big newsboy who had a ‘stand’ on a corner. A small boy with several papers under his arm had edged up until he was trespassing on the territory of the other. When the big boy saw the small one he went at him in a threatening manner and said: ‘Here! Here! Twenty-three! Twenty-three!’ The small boy scowled and talked under his breath, but he moved away. A few days after that I saw a street beggar approach a well-dressed man, who might have been a bookmaker or horseman, and try for the usual ‘touch’. The man looked at the beggar in cold disgust and said: ‘Aw, twenty-three!’ I could see that the beggar didn’t understand it any better than I did. I happened to meet a man who tries to ‘keep up’ on slang and I asked the meaning of ‘Twenty-three!’ He said it was a signal to clear out, run, get away. In his opinion it came from the English race tracks, twenty-three being the limit on the number of horses allowed to start in one race. I don’t know that twenty-three is the limit. But his theory was that ‘twenty-three’ means that there was no longer any reason for waiting at the post. It was a signal to run, a synonym for the Bowery boy’s ‘On your way!’. Another student of slang said the expression originated in New Orleans at the time an attempt was made to rescue a Mexican embezzler who had been arrested there and was to be taken back to his own country. Several of his friends planned to close in upon the police officer prisoner as they were passing in front of a business block which had a wide corridor running through to another block. They were to separate the officer from the prisoner and then, when one of them shouted ‘Twenty-three,’ the crowd was to scatter in all directions, and the prisoner was to run back through the corridor, on the chance that the officer would be too confused to follow the right man. The plan was tried and it failed, but ‘twenty-three’ came into local use as meaning ‘Get away, quick!’ and in time it spread to other cities. I don’t vouch for either of these explanations. But I do know that ‘twenty-three’ is now a part of the slangy boy’s vocabulary.”

Jeremy Newsboy Wells (born in 1977 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand television personality, most famous as the host of TVNZs satirical news show, Eating Media Lunch. ... A bookmaker, bookie or turf accountant, is an organization or a person that takes bets and may pay winnings depending upon results and, depending on the nature of the bet, the odds. ... A horseman can be:- A man who rides a horse. ... A race track (or racetrack), is a purpose-built facility for the conducting of races. ... Categories: Stub | Streets in Manhattan ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... In the broadest sense a fraud is any crime (or civil wrong) for gain that utilises some deception practiced on the victim as its principal method. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ...

Examples of use

A True McGlook once handed this to me:

When little Bright Eyes cuts the cake for you

Count twenty ere you eat the honey-goo

Which leads to love and matrimony - see?

A small-change bunk what's bats on spending free

Can't four-flush when he's paying rent for two.

The pin to flash on Cupid is 'Skidoo!'

The call for Sweet Sixteen is 23."

—Wallace Irwin, The Love Sonnets of a Car Conductor, 1908^[4]

"Just back up along the beach, and if you make the first move to do anything I'm going to shoot. Now, twenty-three for yours, mister, skidoo! We don't want your company; not today," said Thad.—St. George Rathbone, The House Boat Boys (1912)^[5]

He dispersed the crowd very simply by telling them he'd send for the pie wagon and take them all down to the station house if they didn't twenty-three skidoo.—Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn^[6]

He took Mother for a ride in his first automobile.... As Dad and Mother, dressed in dusters and wearing goggles, went scorching through the streets of Boston, bystanders tossed insults and ridicule in their direction.... "Get a horse. Twenty-three skidoo."—Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen.^[7]

It has been suggested that Cupid (holiday character) be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the novel. ... Frank Bunker Gilbreth (b. ... Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (April 4, 1908 – November 4, 2006) was the daughter of Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Frank Bunker Gilbreth, early 20th-century pioneers of time and motion study and what would now be called organizational behavior. ... Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1948 novel by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. ...

Origin

The Flatiron building, c. 1903.

The "23" part of the phrase has a wide diversity of explanations. Among them:- Image File history File links Flatiron_Building_New_York_City_1903_Chicago_Trib. ... Image File history File links Flatiron_Building_New_York_City_1903_Chicago_Trib. ... Image File history File links Whathappenedontwentythirdstreet-thomasedisoninc. ... 23 (twenty-three) is the natural number following 22 and preceding 24. ...

• New York City's Flatiron Building, on 23rd Street, is shaped as a triangle. This shape caused frequent winds, which would stir ladies' skirts, revealing ankles which, in the early years of the Twentieth Century, were seldom seen in public. Further, there was also a hot air shaft through which immense volumes of air was forced up, which would serve the same purpose. Rogues would loiter around the Flatiron Building hoping for glimpses. Local constables, shooing such rogues away, were said to be giving them the 23 Skidoo.

"The intersection in front of the [Flatiron Building] was always a congested spot, and a windy one, too, and in the old days the corner was a famous spot for young lads to watch women's skirts being whipped around. So famous was the spot, in fact, that policemen would occasionally have to shoo away these perpetual watches, and the expression 'Twenty-three Skidoo' was said to have been born on this windswept corner.^[8] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For other uses, see Flatiron Building (disambiguation). ... 23rd Street runs from river to river across Manhattan, carrying two-way traffic. ...

• An early 1900s Death Valley town had 23 saloons (many basically tents). A visit to all, going 23 skidoo, meant having a really good time.^[9]
• Death Valley National Park Service interpreters have sometimes given as an explanation that the early 1900s mining town of Skidoo required that a water line be dug from the source of water on Telescope Peak to the town - a distance of 23 miles. Most thought it would be easy, but the immensely hard rock along the course made it very difficult; it was eventually accomplished by a determined engineer. The term "23 Skidoo" was then used as a statement of irony, something like "duck soup": a reference to something 'apparently easy,' but actually very difficult.
• Sydney Carton, the protagonist of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, is the 23rd person sent to the guillotine in a series of executions in a popular stage production of the book.^[9]
• It is said that 23 was an old Morse code signal used by telegraph operators to mean "away with you."^[10] (The same story accounts for 30 as "end of transmission", a code still used by modern journalists, who place it at the end of articles as a sign to editors. However, the Western Union 92 code, which is the source of 30 and other numbers like 73 and 88 still used in Amateur radio, lists 23 as "all stations copy".)^[11]
• Aleister Crowley titled the 23rd chapter of his 1913 book, The Book of Lies "Skidoo".^[12]
• From the maximum number of horses allowed in a race: see 1899 Example.

For other uses, see Death Valley (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Death Valley (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see A Tale of Two Cities (disambiguation). ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... This article is about the decapitation device. ... 1922 Chart of the Morse Code Letters and Numerals Morse code is a method for transmitting telegraphic information, using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a message. ... Western Union (NYSE: WU) is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. ... Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD display and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is a hobby that uses various types of radio broadcasting equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. ... Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947; the surname is pronounced // i. ... Cover of The Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley. ...

Examples of use in modern popular culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• John Prine refers to 23 Skidoo in his song "Jesus - the missing years:" Chorus:-

Charley bought some popcorn, Billy bought a car,

Someone almost bought the farm, But they didn't go that far,

Things shut down at midnight, At least around here they do,

Cause we all reside down the block, Inside at ....23 skidoo.

• MF Doom in the song "Sofa King" on the album The Mouse and The Mask uses the lyrics:

"Kept all his earnings in the bank and his shoe.

Spat what he knew, energy for true.

To all fake rappers, 23 skidoo".^[13]

• There is an Industrial music act called 23 Skidoo. They released a self-titled comeback album in 2000.
• In the child's television show Blue's Clues, the main character leaps quickly into a painting or picture by performing a "Blue Skiddoo."^[14]
• The phrase is used several times in the animated television show The Simpsons. In the 1994 episode Burns' Heir, Mr. Burns says "Five ... 23 ... skidoo" when attempting to punt a football just prior to booting Smithers in the head and falling over. In the 2000 episode "Homer vs. Dignity", Mr. Burns says "23 skidoo ... twenty-four ... 25 skidoo!" while watching Homer Simpson dance in a panda suit. In the 2006 episode Treehouse of Horror XVII, Disco Stu, seen dressed in a zoot suit, spinning a watch, and preparing to flee from invading aliens, proclaims "Big Band Stu says 23 skidoo!" prior to being shot in the back by Homer. In the episode "Helter Shelter," Marge uses the phrase as she runs off after slamming a book in Apu's face.
• In the Tenacious D episode The Search for Inspirado, JB says, "I could 23 skidoo you a song, I could zippity-do-da you a song, but that would be false. It would be wrong."
• In "Illuminatus!", the conspiracy-trilogy of Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, it's an often used phrase by the members of "The Legion of Dynamic Discord."
• After an Indianapolis Colts loss to the Dallas Cowboys on November 19, 2006, radio producer Tom Gribble of KTCK-AM, in the voice of his character 1920s Reporter Guy, asked Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, "The Dallas defense gave your boys the 23 skidoo all night long. What were they doing to play like the cat's pajamas?"^[15]
• There is a professional swing dance (see "Lindy Hop") troupe called 23 Skidoo. They are based in Denver, Colorado, USA and are consistently rated in the top 3 Lindy Hop groups in the world.
• "28 Skidoo", a spoof of 23 Skidoo, is mentioned "The Ballad of the Sneak", a web cartoon featuring the old-timey cast of Homestar Runner.^[16]
• "28 Skidoo" is the name of an experimental 1967 National Film Board of Canada documentary.^[17][18]
• In a WWII flashback, grandfather of protagonist Gordon Frohman in the webcomic Concerned uses the phrase "twenty-three skidoo!" just before he is shot and killed.[1]
• In the song "Sodium!" from Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode "Horror at Party Beach" the bots refer to things that are/were hip: "...the roller skates, and the 23 skidoos, and the listening to the Becks.."

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... John Prine (born October 10, 1946, in Maywood, Illinois) is an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has achieved widespread critical (and some commercial) success since the early 1970s. ... For other uses, see Popcorn (disambiguation). ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Mouse and the Mask is a collaboration album by DJ Danger Mouse and MF DOOM under the name DangerDoom, released on October 11, 2005 by Epitaph Records in the United States. ... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... 23 Skidoo is an American slang popularized in the early Twentieth Century (first appearing before World War I and becoming popular in the Roaring Twenties). ... See also: 2000 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2000 Record labels established in 2000 // John Tavener is knighted in the New Years Honours List. ... Blues Clues is a childrens show about a dog named Blue. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Burns Heir is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season, first aired on April 14, 1994. ... Mr. ... Homer vs. ... Homer Simpson is also a character in the book and film The Day of the Locust. ... Panda may refer to: // Giant Panda Panda (plant), a genus of the family Euphorbiaceae PANDAS or P.A.N.D.A.S. is Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptoccal infections Qinling Panda, a subspecies of the Giant Panda. ... Treehouse of Horror XVII is, as the name indicates, the seventeenth Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons. ... Disco Stu is a fictional character from The Simpsons. ... A soldier inspecting zoot suits in Washington D.C. in 1942 Men in zoot suits A zoot suit was a style of clothing first popularized by young African Americans, Filipino Americans, Italian Americans, and Mexican Americans in the late 1930s and 1940s [1][2][3][4][5]. Today, a zoot... Helter Shelter is the fifth episode from the fourteenth season of The Simpsons that aired December 1, 2002. ... This article is about the band. ... Tenacious D was a TV series that ran on HBO in 1997, 1999, and 2000. ... 23 The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. ... Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson or RAW (January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was a prolific American novelist, essayist, philosopher, psychologist, futurologist, anarchist, and conspiracy theory researcher. ... Robert Joseph Shea (1933 - March 10, 1994) was the co-author (with Robert Anton Wilson) of The Illuminatus! Trilogy. ... The Legion of Dynamic Discord (or LDD), is the sect of Discordianism that all Discordians belong to if they have not founded their own sect (even if they belong to someone elses sect, they are a member of the LDD). ... City Indianapolis, Indiana Other nicknames The Horseshoes Team colors Speed Blue and White Head Coach Tony Dungy Owner Jim Irsay General manager Bill Polian Mascot Blue League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1953–present) Western Conference (1953-1969) Coastal Division (1967-1969) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC East (1970... City Irving, Texas Other nicknames Americas Team, The Boys Team colors Silver, Navy Blue Head Coach Wade Phillips Owner Jerry Jones General manager Jerry Jones League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1960–present) Northern Conference (1960) Eastern Conference (1961-1966) Capitol Division (1967-1969) National Football Conference (1970-present... KTCK (1310 AM, SportsRadio 1310 The Ticket), is a Dallas, Texas based sports talk radio station. ... Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana)[1] is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise. ... Dancing the lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006) Lindy hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. ... The National Film Board of Canada (usually National Film Board or NFB) is a Canadian public filmmaking organization established to produce and distribute films that inform Canadians and promote Canada around the world. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Main Character from Online Comic Book Concerned Gordon Frohman, former Black Mesa entry-level employee, survivor of the Portal Storms and the Seven Hour War, and now earnest and hard-working citizen of City 17. ... Webcomics, also known as online comics and internet comics, are comics that are available to read on the Internet. ... Concerned (Full title: Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman) was a webcomic by Christopher C. Livingston, parodying the popular first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. ... Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ...

References

The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Eric Honeywood Partridge (February 6, 1894-June 1, 1979) was a noted lexicographer of the English language, and particularly of its slang. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Word Detective column on origin of 23-skidoo
• Twenty-Three Skidoo 1899 George Ade "twenty-three" article by word researcher Barry Popik.
• 23 Skidoo! Denver, Colorado USA swing dance website.