A little amateur etymology time. The word Hoopie. Obviously, we use it as a casual slur/descriptor of West Virginians, specifically fans of WVU.

I was a little stunned by a Mountaineer’s unfamiliarity with the term and its origin. As far as I always understood it, the term was derived from the time honored craft of whiskey barrel construction. Specifically, the area for which West Virginians excelled, the crafting of the metal hoops to hold the barrels together.

This definition is a little broader in range:

A generally dirty person from the country or the south.Also used to describe extremely stupid people. Used as “That girl needs to take a bath. What a freaking hoopie!”.

Bill said he believes the term originated, when the bottom fell out of, the barrel making trade. The displaced barrel makers, of the Tennessee Valley area, went to other areas for work. In those places they were known as hoopies.

Anyone in the TVA to help on this?

I had no idea about this use of the term:

a tractor and trailer on the same frame that do not disconnect. Usually used for deliveries in downtown city spaces.

For some reason, I’m not surprised to learn that the people of Boston have their own definition. For them it means: nuts or crazy. I have no idea where or why.

Amazingly, the term is now being pushed to describe “a local resident living in a college town in central PA, often mullet clad and wearing flannel.” Apparently, a subspecies of the creature known nationwide as, “townies.”

Anyone else have some more information on the history and definitions.