Ker

A prefix intensifying violent action, used exclusively in comic writing. Now and then it has assumed such forms as CA, CO, CHE.

1852.  CO-BIM. The first blow knocked old S. off his pegs, and into a haystack—cobim!—Olympia Columbian, Oct. 2: from the Boston Museum.

1851.  KER-BIM. She turned ’round an’ took me kerbim right ’tween the eyes! I tell you what, it made me see stars. I aint sed snake to her since.—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 70.

1847.  CO-CHUNK. Co chunk! went Jem into the middle of the floor, jest at the crack off day.—T. B. Thorpe, ‘The Big Bear of Arkansas: Chunkey’s Fight,’ p. 128. (Italics in the original.)

1847.  We ’spect you to be right co-chunk up to the hub on them thar questions.—Robb, ‘Streaks of Squatter Life,’ &c., p. 31 (Phila.).

1850.  We reached the oaks, Colt tried to pass Preacher, Preacher tried to pass Colt, and cowollop, crosh, cochunk! we all cum down like ’simmons arter frost.—H. C. Lewis (‘Madison Tensas’), ‘Odd Leaves,’ p. 50 (Phila.).

1866.  KER-CHUNK. He’ll put just such fellows as me in the front ranks, where David put Goliah [sic], and some of them whistling bullets or singing bombs will take my old gizzard, kerchunk.—C. H. Smith, ‘Bill Arp,’ p. 42.

1855.  KER-DASH. The next moment he went kerdash in the water.—Weekly Oregonian, June 30.

1856.  There wan’t nobody to hum but her, so I went right in ker dash, an’ set down.—Id., Aug. 2.

1858.  KER-DIFF. He wur plum crazy, an’ jumped over the frunt ov the pulpit, rite inter the pius part ov the kongragation, kerdiff.—‘Sut Lovengood’s Lizards’: Olympia Pioneer, Feb. 26.

a. 1848.  KER-FLUMMUX. Ere the middle round [of the ladder] be reached, the bottom slips, and down you come ker-flummux.—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ i. 166.

1856.  She got glory tew, an’ clapped her hands an’ jumped so high that she came deown ker flummux on to root.—Weekly Oregonian, Aug. 2.

1851.  CO-FLUMPUX. Down she came, with a fit of hysterics, coflumpux on the floor.—M. L. Byrn, ‘An Arkansaw Doctor,’ p. 83.

1851.  CA-JUNK. They’d hit pretty close by me ’casionally, ca-junk!—J. J. Hooper, ‘Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs,’ &c., p. 197.

1855.  KA-LUMPUS. There he goes kalumpus right by the big apple tree.—S. A. Hammett (‘Philip Paxton’), ‘Captain Priest,’ p. 93.

1851.  KER-PLUMPUS. He cussed ’nuff to send twenty preachers like old Joe Slater an’ Parson Holcom an’ them kind er Jewdases right ker-plumpus into h—.—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 52.

1899.  KER-SLAM. Down came the bunch of sacks kerslam on the deck below.—F. T. Bullen, ‘Way Navy,’ p. 52. (N.E.D.)

1853.  KER-SLAP.

1851.  Send him kerslap up agin that tree, and perhaps you’ll gin him er headache.—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 74.

1859.  She quickly raised [her hand] on high, and brought it down kerslap upon my cheek.—Rocky Mountain News, Auraria and Denver, Sept. 3.

1872.  I fell kerslap over a rail that lay in the grass, and turned my ancle jint, and I was laid up bed sick for two weeks.—Marietta Holley, ‘My Opinions and Betsy Bobbet’s,’ p. 99. (N.E.D.)

  KER-SLASH, KER-SLESH, KER-SLOSH, KER-SLUSH.

1843.  I was so flustrated that I tuck the wrong way, and bimeby kerslash I went, right over old Miss Stallinses spinnin-wheel, onto the floor!—W. T. Thompson, ‘Major Jones’s Courtship’ (Farmer).

1848.  I jerked the ladel what was already runnin over, towards the middle spout, when kerslosh went the water all over my feet, and the ladel went rattle-teklink agin the wall whar it was chained.—W. T. Thompson, ‘Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel,’ p. 64 (Phila.).

1851.  Thar was one of the etarnalest whollopin’ bars cummin’ crack, crack, through the cane an’ kerslesh over the creek, and stopped right plumb slap up whar Ike’s gun was.—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 52.

1897.  A veteran at our side announces that the fox is circling back across the lower end of the swamp, to the left, so back we go kerslosh-kersplash for another quarter of a mile, and come out upon dry land once more, well winded.—Outing, xxx. 127. (N.E.D.)

1843.  In he splash’d kerslush, like a hurt buffalo bull.—B. R. Hall (‘Robert Carlton’), ‘The New Purchase,’ i. 268.

1855.  KER-SLUNG. Ker-slung! he went into the kreek, and I seed the water fly.—Oregon Weekly Times, May 12.

1850.  CO-SOUSE. The dug-out hadn’t more’n leaped six lengths from the bank, afore—zip—chug—co-souse I went—the front eend jest lifted itself agin a sawyer and emptied me into the element!—Haliburton (‘Sam Slick’), ‘The Americans at Home,’ i. 278 (Bartlett).

1852.  KER-SOUSE.

1844.  CA-SPLASH. In I jumps, ca-splash!—J. C. Neal, ‘Peter Ploddy,’ &c., p. 179 (Phila.).

1857.  I went through the air eend over eend, clear across the island, more than fifteen rods, ca-splash into the lake on the other side.—S. H. Hammond, ‘Wild Northern Scenes,’ p. 62.

1866.  KER-SPLOSH. Well, I found a gully at last, and I rolld in kersplosh, for it was about two feet in mud and water.—C. H. Smith, ‘Bill Arp,’ p. 129.

1856.  KER-SWALLOP. A dainty pretty face at my elbow burst into tears and fell down ker-swallop, back on the cushions.—Knick. Mag., xlviii. 616 (Dec.).

1851.  KER-SWASH. The fust thing I know’d I went kerswash into the drink!—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 152.

1848.  KER-SWOSH.

1836.  CHE-WHALLOP. Down I came chewhallop right on Deb’s bonnet and her fixups, and overset the chair.—Phila. Public Ledger, July 27.

1852.  He goes right kerwallop over into the Whig party, and nothing will content him but an appropriation of money.—Mr. Walker of Wisconsin, U.S. Senate, Aug. 17: Cong. Globe, p. 959, App.

  CA-WHOP, KER-WHOP.

1851.  Presently Jim come to the ground, ca-whop!—J. J. Hooper, ‘Widow Rugby’s Husband,’ &c., p. 90.

1851.  He … sent him kerwhop! about er mile an er feet!—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 75.

1885.  One on ’em dips a mop in a tar-bucket, and dabs him on the mouth, and then they hoists him over and lets him go ker-whop.—J. Runciman, ‘Skippers and Shellbacks,’ p. 85. (N.E.D.)