A word that's been bugging the hell out of me regarding the Indiana primary (which may or may not be Ted Cruz's last stand), is constantly calling Indiana "the hoosier state".
It's an utterly meaningless word that is repeated over and over, and adds nothing to the discussion. It's only with the vaguest of speculation that even an origin can be postulated for the word, let alone any meaning to it in a modern context.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/hoosier?s=tWord Origin and History for Hoo-sier Expand
"native or resident of Indiana," by c.1830, American English, of unknown origin; fanciful explanations were printed in 1830s newspapers. Said to have been first printed Jan. 1, 1833, in the "Indianapolis Journal," in a poem, "The Hoosiers Nest," by John Finely, which poem was said to have been written in 1830 ["The Word Hoosier," "Indiana Historical Society Publications," vol. IV, No. 2, 1907], and to have been in oral use from late 1820s. Seemingly it originated among Ohio River boatmen; perhaps related to English dialectal (Cumberland) hoozer, used of anything unusually large [Barnhart]. For other theories, see the above quoted source.
This one cracks me up:
hoosier
noun
1.A rustic; hick (1846+)
2.A prison guard (1930s+ Prison)
[origin uncertain; perhaps related to southern Appalachian hoozer, ''anything unusually large, humdinger'']
Perhaps that's what one would have to be, to allow themselves to be labelled with such a meaningless word.
I also hate goofy terms like
"Shytown" for Chicago, or
"the Big Apple" for New York. And even state nicknames like
"the Sunshine state" for my native Florida.
A few months ago, they were referring to one as
"the Granite state" over and over during the primaries, which leaves most wondering what the fuck state they're even talking about.
One could, y'know, just say
New Hampshire, so people actually know what state you're talking about!
