[or-roots] snap your Sprocket

[Leslie Chapman]

Laura;

That expression is a new to me, and my father was 46 when i was born and I
know the meaning of most of the slang he used as well as a good portion of
the slang from the last fifty years. I tried the expression online and came
up void. Sprocked itself so far has turned up an Aussie expression directly
related to bicycling, thousands of hits associated with bike/motorcycle
parts, one phallic reference; pocket sprocket which "might" be associated
with what you father was trying to say as I can think of any number of
expressions that could be implied with the words "snap your sprocket", there
is also a slang term "popped a sprocket" but it is related to computer
hardware, specifically lanport problems, so unless you are about minus
twenty years old it probably isn't relevant to your question.

Here is a defintion of sprocket that might be meaningful;

sprocket - 1536, originally a carpenters' word for a piece of timber used in
framing, of unknown origin. The meaning "projection from the rim of a wheel
that engages the links of a chain" is first recorded 1750.

Now since they don't go into any detail in defining; "piece of timber used
in framing" let us just suppose it is specifically a short piece such as a
fire break which is the cross piece you see nailed between two studs in a
wall, or  the even shorter pieces that are nailed in between window and door
headers; in another words "a block" hence "snap your sprocket" would be
another way of saying "knock your block off" which from what you have
described, which I believe I have heard elsewhere referred to as a "brain
duster," sounds very much like the same thing.

Sprocket Opera is apparently a slang term for a film festival, given the
other definitions I have found for sprocket I don't even want to think about
that one.

I am of course not an etymologyst, but I really think knock your block off
is what he was implying.

Les Chapman

-----Original Message-----
From: or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
[mailto:or-roots-admin at sosinet.sos.state.or.us]On Behalf Of LMA
Project_Managers
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 9:12 AM
To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us
Subject: Re: [or-roots] Humour in the 1840-50's


Have any of you out there ever heard the term "Snap your Sprocket?" My dad,
who was 47 when I was born, had a lot of these sayings and because he was an
older father I didn't hear the sayings from any other fathers. So I never
knew if he made them up or if it was an old timey slang.

Anyway, if we were misbehaving as children or bothering my dad in some way-
he'd say "I'm going to Snap your Sprocket." Then he'd thump us on the head
by flicking his middle finger away from his thumb. It HURT too. You had to
learn to get moving if he said that before he could actually make good on
his threat.  Thanks.

I can't ask him this now because he passed away two years ago at 90.

Thanks,
Laura
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