Just Joshin'
Whenever I think of "Just joshin" I think of the song by Jack Harlow - What's Poppin.
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But where did "Just Joshin" really originate from? You always here the saying... "I'm just joshing ya!" or "man.. that test... I was joshin on it." The urban dictionary shows that the meaning of "Just Joshin" is when you are joking on someone, just kidding, or messing around.
But better beleive this saying has been around since 1883. There is a definitive origination of this saying and the guys name was Josh Tatum. Out of all the terms for playing a joke on someone the most interesting by far is "joshing". In 1883 the U.S. mint unwittingly introduced the new Liberty Nickel. The face on one side was the unmistakable image of the Goddess of Liberty. On the reverse side they placed a large Roman numeral "V", instead of the usual, "Five Cents". This presented a golden opportunity for con artists to make a tidy profit. When I say Golden Opportunity.... I mean literately! The coin that closely resembled in size and design was the five dollar gold piece.
The most famous of these con men was Josh Tatum, also reputed to be a deaf mute took it to a new level. He struck up a partnership with a jeweler who gold-plated the V Nickels. Josh would walk into a store, buy an item costing five cents or less and lay down of his coins. If the clerk gave him change for a nickel he'd leave and try another store. However, most clerks looked at the V and assumed it was a five dollar gold piece and gave him change for a five. It doesn't sound like much today, but in 1883 Josh could haul in a tidy sum on a good day. Back in 1883 a nickel was usually a full days wage!
Josh was arrested and hauled before a judge. His lawyer argued that poor Josh was a deaf mute and couldn't tell the clerk he'd made a mistake. During the testimony the clerks were unable to say Josh had claimed the coins were five dollar gold pieces. So, Josh beat the rap and the jury found him innocent!
The mint reacted to the fraud by suspecting production for a spell and added "Cents" to the new issue. The V nickel was replaced in 1913 by the Buffalo nickel.
But better beleive this saying has been around since 1883. There is a definitive origination of this saying and the guys name was Josh Tatum. Out of all the terms for playing a joke on someone the most interesting by far is "joshing". In 1883 the U.S. mint unwittingly introduced the new Liberty Nickel. The face on one side was the unmistakable image of the Goddess of Liberty. On the reverse side they placed a large Roman numeral "V", instead of the usual, "Five Cents". This presented a golden opportunity for con artists to make a tidy profit. When I say Golden Opportunity.... I mean literately! The coin that closely resembled in size and design was the five dollar gold piece.
The most famous of these con men was Josh Tatum, also reputed to be a deaf mute took it to a new level. He struck up a partnership with a jeweler who gold-plated the V Nickels. Josh would walk into a store, buy an item costing five cents or less and lay down of his coins. If the clerk gave him change for a nickel he'd leave and try another store. However, most clerks looked at the V and assumed it was a five dollar gold piece and gave him change for a five. It doesn't sound like much today, but in 1883 Josh could haul in a tidy sum on a good day. Back in 1883 a nickel was usually a full days wage!
Josh was arrested and hauled before a judge. His lawyer argued that poor Josh was a deaf mute and couldn't tell the clerk he'd made a mistake. During the testimony the clerks were unable to say Josh had claimed the coins were five dollar gold pieces. So, Josh beat the rap and the jury found him innocent!
The mint reacted to the fraud by suspecting production for a spell and added "Cents" to the new issue. The V nickel was replaced in 1913 by the Buffalo nickel.
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