Good evening, word lovers! Did you catch tonight’s Final Jeopardy?

The eyebrow-raising category: Four-Letter Words

The Question: “New research shows that this word that has become ubiquitous dates back to young men also called ‘macaronis’.”

The answer:

Wait, let me give you a clue first…

Did you get it?

It’s “dude”: a derivative of “Doodle!” Who knew!

This is really a funny coincidence, as the word “Doodle” has been on my mind today. I created a Doodle calendar for my students, so that they could arrange conferences with me. And as I did so, all I could do was think of Doodle in “The Scarlet Ibis.” As a result, creating the Doodle calendar practically made me tear up!

Anyway, how fascinating that a “cool” term for guys comes from “Doodle.” I think I’ll giggle every time I hear “dude” from now on.

And from now on, I propose that we call each of the dudes in our lives “Doodle.” Who’s with me?