Gettin’ Ziggy
Cidu Bill on Nov 25th 2009
Several people asked me — and rightfully so — whether it’s idiomatically common in some areas of the United States to refer to something failing or going out of business (in this case Gourmet magazine) as “getting the ziggy.” My best guess is that it refers to the recently-bankrupt financial firm Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner Smith and Ziggy, but I suspect that’s really a very poor guess.
Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Frazz, Jef Mallet, Ziggy, comic strips, comics, humor | 28 responses so far
PeterW Nov 25th 2009 at 01:40 am 1
It’s because the comic strip Ziggy has been comedically bankrupt for decades.
paperboy Nov 25th 2009 at 02:20 am 2
Maybe Mallet is trying to start a slang phrase. You read it there first.
Kit Nov 25th 2009 at 02:36 am 3
re: comics, isn’t it most often that people don’t get the Zippy?
Arthur Nov 25th 2009 at 02:41 am 4
A web search suggests to me that it’s sports terminology. Here is my search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22get+%2Bthe+ziggy%22&start=20&sa=N
Dyfsunctional Nov 25th 2009 at 07:29 am 5
I swear I’d never heard the phrase. I thought Caulfield was had heard that Gourmet was literally going to start running Ziggy strips, which ruined the magazine for him.
Powers Nov 25th 2009 at 08:05 am 6
Even Urban Dictionary has never heard of the phrase, but it does seem to be predominately used in sports. Who knew there was something the Internet couldn’t reveal?
Esteban Nov 25th 2009 at 08:52 am 7
Jef Mallett lives in my hometown (Lansing, Michigan), and I’ve never heard the phrase.
Heather D Nov 25th 2009 at 09:48 am 8
I assumed on first reading that it was some culinary magazine award…
Daniel J. Drazen Nov 25th 2009 at 10:24 am 9
Did a quick Google of the phrase; it seems to be associated with Dick Vitale. More, I cannot tell you.
Judge Mental Nov 25th 2009 at 10:33 am 10
I don’t know the origin of the euphemism, but I have heard “getting the ziggy” as a synonym for “getting canned”, “getting axed” or ‘getting the boot” for 30 years.
Judge Mental Nov 25th 2009 at 10:35 am 11
Oh, and Daniel is correct, Dick Vitale does use it regularly when describing a coach who got fired.
Duncman Nov 25th 2009 at 10:41 am 12
Maybe its just a reference to Ziggy and how he is always getting screwed over? Outside of Dick Vitale I have never heard anyone utter the phrase.
Hunt Nov 25th 2009 at 10:49 am 13
A little more Googling suggests that it is a term used in Detroit for being fired, especially in basketball.
Judge Mental Nov 25th 2009 at 10:57 am 14
@Hunt
Being familiar with the phrase, I haven’t bothered googling it, but Dick Vitale was fired as coach from the NBA Detroit Pistons and was previously the head basketball coach at the University of Detroit, which is probably why it shows up in the search.
Molly J Nov 25th 2009 at 11:03 am 15
Maybe it’s a Ziggy Stardust reference. I don’t think things ended well for him, either. Killed by the kids, wasn’t it?
Judge Mental Nov 25th 2009 at 11:14 am 16
One other observation:
I have also heard “zig” as the verb for being fired, as in “The coach will be zigged if the team has another losing season”. I have assumed that the phrase is derived from the “getting the ziggy”, but its possible that it could be vice versa.
Sili Nov 25th 2009 at 11:22 am 17
Spinning on Judge Mental’s comment: sacked — zig zagged — zigged?
Of course, I don’t do voiced /z/s, and I doubt rhyming slang is that common in Detroit.
Chris_C Nov 25th 2009 at 11:45 am 18
Wasn’t that a Will Smith single from the Men In Black Soundtrack? “Getting Ziggy With it”
Elyrest Nov 25th 2009 at 12:15 pm 19
Chris_C - I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not, but that word was jiggy.
The Bad Seed Nov 25th 2009 at 01:49 pm 20
Maybe Batiuk wrote the dialogue for this day’s strip?
S.P. Charles Nov 25th 2009 at 02:43 pm 21
Chris C, I think that was Bill’s semi-obscure reference in the headline.
Kent Nov 25th 2009 at 03:18 pm 22
Maybe Caulfield is referring to the second season of the Wire?
FeelinOld Nov 25th 2009 at 04:35 pm 23
Never heard the term before this strip, but then I don’t follow basketball (well any of the *balls really, if it ain’t on ice it ain’t a sport (and please note anything ‘judged’ is also not a sport so no figure skating))
Where are those that have heard of it from? Strikes me as a regional colloquialism, but then with frazz it could just be a very dated term as well…
turquoise cow Nov 25th 2009 at 07:09 pm 24
Dyfsunctional: me too!
on second or third reading, i was able to figure that it must mean something like “get canceled.” I also wondered, however, if it meant “sell out,” as in, the magazine was so desperate for money it was running the Ziggy comic strip.
Mark in Boston Nov 25th 2009 at 11:02 pm 25
FeelinOld: Ah, you’re a Curling fan.
chemgal Nov 26th 2009 at 12:25 pm 26
mark in boston: maybe FeelinOld is a ringette fan, or speed skating, or broomball — oops, that involves a ball. Never mind.
FeelinOld Nov 26th 2009 at 10:40 pm 27
Umm…. All of the above (except the broomball of course
)
Curling: Curled competitively for years till the knees gave out.
Ringette: Watched a friends daughter a few days ago.
Speed Skating: Tried it as a kid but was NEVER any good at it.
And we’ll just ignore the elephant in the room (Go Flames Go)
Matt Dec 7th 2009 at 12:05 pm 28
Tom Wilson has been giving out the ziggy for thirty five years now.