I learned something new today. As everyone knows, moxie is:
mox·ie n. Slang 1. The ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage. 2. Aggressive energy; initiative: “His prose has moxie, though it rushes and stumbles from a pent-up surge” (Patricia Hampl). 3. Skill; know-how. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
I've always assumed that the name of the well-known and excellent weblog moxie.nu related to the above definitions. It does, but not, as I suspected, directly.
Continuing his crusade to disparage the king-of-all-soft drinks, Dr. Pepper, Andrew Stuttaford (who, when on a roll in NRO's Corner, can be as prolific as Glenn Reynolds) asks, "What's Moxie?"
What’s Moxie? Well, claims made on some of its early labels included the following:"Contains not a drop of Medicine, Poison, Stimulant or Alcohol. But is a simple sugarcane-like plant grown near the Equator and farther south, was lately accidentally discovered by Lieut. Moxie and has proved itself to be the only harmless nerve food known that can recover brain and nervous exhaustion, loss of manhood, imbecility and helplessness. It has recovered paralysis, softening of the brain, locomotor ataxia, and insanity when caused by nervous exhaustion. It gives a durable solid strength, makes you eat voraciously, takes away the tired, sleepy, listless feeling like magic, removes fatigue from mental and physical over work at once, will not interfere with action of vegetable medicines." [emphasis added]
Moxie, it seems, is a previously unheard of (by me) soft drink. This set-off my internal researcher. Could Moxie the beverage be related to Moxie the weblog?
Yep.
Why moxie.nu?
Moxie was a trademark for a mass produced soft drink back in the 1800's. It allegedly cured all that ailed you including "paralysis, and softening of the brain". That claim alone made it good enough for me. The former trademark has now become a part of our vernacular, defined as energy, pep, courage and determination. I'm hoping for some guilt by association. Yes, and you can still buy it in some parts of the country.
Recovers loss of manhood -- wow, that's Moxie.
Posted by oscarjr at January 25, 2003 03:44 PM | TrackBack