What is a Money Hogger? An Expert Guide to Greedy Linguistic Lore
Have you ever been called a "money hogger" when you won‘t spot someone cash or split the dinner bill? Or accused of being a blanket hogger by an annoyed bedmate? Turns out this scathing slang has a fascinating history – from actual coin-stuffed socks to gluttonous pigs.
As a historian and technologist, I‘m digging into the origins and evolution of the "hogger" insult. Grab some slop and join this etymological safari from Middle Age Scottish leggings to computer vision algorithms!
The Humble Origins of "Hogger"
Let‘s oink back to the 16th century…
"Hogger" first referred to a specific type of handknitted footless stocking worn in Scotland as a gaiter or legging to cover the lower leg. In his comprehensive Revised English Dictionary of 1877, philologist Charles Richardson traced it back to 1530. It derived from the Middle English "hog" referring to a young sheep after its first shearing.
By 1630, "hogger" was also used more generally to mean any old or worn out stocking.
But how did ragged leggings become associated with gluttony and greed? Piggy connotations crept in by 1677, when "hogger" referred to:
"An old stocking used for keeping money"
according to the venerable Oxford English Dictionary.
This literal "money hogger" usage is fantastically thrifty – just use an old sock as a coin purse!
The Greedy Hog Metaphor
Of course, comparing people to hogs casts them as greedy, gluttonous creatures who gorge themselves. By the 1800s, "hogger" was slang for:
"A covetous, selfish or grasping person; one who wishes to monopolize anything; one who takes more than his share."
Likely the term crossed over to English from Scottish dialect. The economic turmoil of the Industrial Revolution stoked fears of greedy capitalists hogging resources.
Now "hogger" can refer to someone who hogs anything metaphorical – a blanket hogger dominates the bedding, a ball hog selfishly won‘t pass the ball, media hogs gobble up attention.
In financial contexts, a money hogger holds tight to their cash and won‘t share with spendthrift friends. Psychologists have extensively studied such monetary selfishness and its impact on relationships. Researchers O‘Guinn and Faber (1989) found that:
"Money attitudes and behaviors fundamentally affect dyadic and family relationships"
So being stingy can sow discord! Of course, reasonable budgeting is wise – but beware pathological penny pinching.
Pig Pen – Swine Terminology
Let‘s learn the proper terms to describe our porcine pals before diving back into hog slang:
- Female pigs are called sows, gilts or frumps
- Intact males are boars, neutered males are barrows
- Their young are piglets in a litter
Here‘s a breakdown of key hog breeding and rearing vocabulary:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Farrow | Give birth to piglets |
| Sow | Adult female pig after birthing |
| Gilt | Female pig that hasn‘t birthed |
| Boar | Adult intact male pig |
| Barrow | Castrated male pig |
| Piglet | Baby pig |
| Finishing | Fattening up pigs for slaughter |
In 2017, over 120 million pigs were raised across the United States according to the USDA. That‘s a lot of ham, and a lot of chances for hog-wild behavior!
Going Whole Hog – Hogmanay History
Now that we‘re versed in pig patois, let‘s learn about the history of Hogmanay – a Scottish New Year‘s Eve blowout.
This raucous celebration has its roots in ancient Viking winter solstice festivals held in late December. These Pagan Yule soirees could get hog-wild, with villagers lighting huge bonfires, hosting feasts, and dancing around like pigs in slop.
Plus plenty of delightful Pagan rituals:
-
Burning "hogmanays" or torches of oak wrapped in hide to purify and ward off evil spirits into the new year
-
Throwing giant fiery tar barrels into the River Ness
-
Baking Hogmanay "sowens" – a hearty oat and water porridge to fill bellies on cold winter nights
By the 1600s, Christmas was banned in Scotland for being "too Catholic." But the Scots kept the Yule party going on New Year‘s Eve. Eventually the rowdy mix of Pagan and Christian traditions crystallized into modern Hogmanay.
Ring in the bells by singing "Auld Lang Syne," tossing a tasty bit of coal for luck, and charging up Calton Hill for the fiery Red Hot Chilli Pipers performance!
Piggy Bank – Hog Money History
Pigs popped up on real money too – specifically the Hogmoney of Bermuda. When the island was settled in the early 1600s, hogs ran rampant. As the only readily available livestock, they became a dietary staple.
The Somers Isles Company decided to mint copper coins featuring hogs to circulate as currency on the islands from 1616 to 1624. These coins came to be known as "hog money" or "hogge money," valued from 2 pence to 1 shilling.
Collectors still hunt for hog money today – a well-preserved one fetched over $18,000 USD at auction in 2006!
So a "money hogger" could refer to either a greedy tycoon, or an actual historical coin purse filled with hogges.
Hogs in the Virtual World – Computer Vision
While hogs have literal and metaphorical meanings, they also populate the digital landscape!
In computer vision, HOG stands for Histogram of Oriented Gradients. This algorithm analyzes the frequency and direction of gradients in sections of an image to characterize local objects. It was originally proposed in 2005 for pedestrian detection.
Here‘s a quick rundown of how HOG works its image processing magic:
- Divide image into small sections called cells
- Calculate histogram of gradient directions in each cell
- Normalize histograms from all cells into blocks
- The combined histogram becomes the HOG feature descriptor
HOG is particularly adept at handling variations in illumination and shadowing. It excels at detecting people and animals thanks to their specific shapes and contours. Other common applications include vehicle detection, handwriting recognition, and image retrieval.
So in machine learning, hogs are helpful instead of greedy!
To Hog or Not To Hog? A Linguistic and Cultural Debate
Like many insults, "hogger" can pack a punch – or provoke pushback. Does reclaiming hog-centric language empower people to defy expectations? Or does it risk perpetuating harmful assumptions?
Some social commentators argue we shouldn‘t compare people to animals at all. Feminist linguist Julia Penelope posits:
"Calling women pigs or dogs reinforces the false notion that women are subhuman."
Others counter that subverting negative euphemisms with irony allows marginalized groups to rearrange power dynamics.
African-American motorcyclists reclaimed "hog" as a badge of honor in the 1960s to resist racist stereotypes. The word no longer denigrated them as subhuman. Through linguistic "flip the script" maneuvers, language transforms.
So use slang mindfully! Evaluate if your context empowers or demeans.
Conclusion – A Lighthearted Linguistic Journey
From medieval Scottish slang to computer science, we‘ve covered some fascinating territory about "hogger" terminology. Next time someone hogs the blankets or the budget, you‘ll be prepared with plenty of historical and psychological insights!
At its best, language constantly evolves to build connection. At its worst, words divide us into "hogs" and humans. My hope is that understanding the origins of terms like this will make us more thoughtful in how we communicate.
Now go forth and linguistic explorations! But avoid hogging the conversation – and be generous if your friends need to borrow a tenner.