Buffalo

Buffalo (pronounced buhf-uh-loh)

(1) An animal from the subtribe Bubalina, also known as true buffalos, such as the Cape buffalo, Syncerus caffer, or the water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

(2) A related North American animal, the American bison (zoologically incorrect but in use thus since the 1630s).

(3) An ellipsis of buffalo robe.

(4) As the buffalo fish, the Ictiobus spp.

(5) In numismatic slang, a clipping of Buffalo nickel (a copper–nickel five-cent piece struck by the US Mint 1913-1938) and still (rarely) used of nickels.

(6) In numismatic slang, a clipping of “American buffalo” (a gold bullion coin), still used by collectors.

(7) A locality name most prevalent in North America, the Lake Erie port in western New York, the best-known,

(8) A shuffling tap-dance step (associated with the popular song “Shuffle Off to Buffalo”, from the musical film 42^nd Street (1933).

(9) As “buffaloed by”, to be puzzled or baffled; to be confused or mystified.

(10) As “to buffalo”, to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance etc.

(11) To hunt buffalo (archaic).

(12) To assault (historically, to “pistol-whip”).

1535–1545: An early Americanism (replacing buffel, from the French, noted since the 1510s), from the Spanish or Portuguese búfalo (water buffalo), from the Italian buffalo, from Late Latin būfalus (an alteration of the Classical Latin būbalus (wild ox)), from the Ancient Greek βούβαλος (boúbalos).  The Greek form was originally the name of a kind of African antelope, later used of a type of domesticated ox in southern Asia and the Mediterranean lands.  I’s a word of uncertain origin and the elements may include bous (ox, cow, from the primitive Indo-European root gwou- (ox, bull, cow) but it may be a Greek folk-etymology.  The use of “buffalo” to describe the American bison is a mistake dating from the 1630s and it has endured so long as to become institutionalized.  The other Germanic words (the Dutch buffel, the German Büffel, the Danish böffel etc) are from the French while the Russian buivolu, the Polish bujwoł and the Bulgarian bivol came from the Medieval Latin.  The “Buffalo gnat” was first recorded in 1822 while the term “Buffalo chip” (dung of the American bison used as a fuel) was in use by at least the 1840s.  The origin of the name of the city Buffalo in western New York is disputed, not least because there were never any bison in close proximity to the place.  It may have been based on the name of a native American (ie Red Indian) chief or a corruption of the French beau fleuve (beautiful river).  The use of “buffalo” as a verb meaning “alarm” was documented early in the twentieth century and is probably related to the tendency of the beasts to mass panic.  In many fields, “buffalo” is used as a modifier for many words.  The old synonym buffle is extinct.  Buffalo is a noun & verb, buffaloed & buffaloing are (informal) verbs and buffaloish (non-standard) & buffalo-like are adjectives; the noun plural is buffaloes or buffalos but if used collectively (ie of a herd) buffalo is the usual spelling.  The common collective noun for a group of buffalo is “herd” although “gang” is a recorded US regionalism and some prefer the more evocative “obstinacy”, the label gained by virtue of the beast’s well-documented quality of stubbornness.

Classy Leather’s illustration of the difference in texture between bison and buffalo leather.

The clipping “buff” also tracked a varied path.  Predictably, the word seems first to have been simply a short form of “buffalo” but by the 1560s traders were using it to describe the thick, soft leather obtained from the hides of the creatures which were being slaughtered by the million although then it was almost always spelled “buffe” (ie as “buffe leather”) from the French buffle.  Buff was by the 1780s used generally to describe a “light brownish-yellow” color, based on the hue assume by the buffalo leather in its process form and as early as circa 1600 the old association of “hide” with “skin” led to the phrase “in the buff” (naked), strengthened by buff leather and pale human skin being similar in hue.  Over time, “buff naked" emerged and this morphed into "buck naked," possibly influenced by use of the word “buck” which, in American slang, had been used to refer to male deer, Native Americans, or African-American men in certain contexts. The exact etymological connection is debated, but “buck” here may have been used to evoke an image of primal or raw naturalism.  The evolution continued and by the early nineteenth century there was also “butt naked” obviously more explicit and descriptively accessible to a modern audience, emphasizing the state of stark nudity by referencing the buttocks.  It’s now the most popular of the three slang forms.  All three are unrelated to the use of “buff” to mean “polish a metal to a high gloss”, that based on the original “buffing cloths” being off-cuts of a “buff-coat” (a military overcoat originally made from the hide).  A tool for this purpose is often still called “a buff”.  The noting of “polishing up” by “buffing” was taken up in video gaming (especially role-playing) where it meant “to make a character or an item stronger or more capable”.

Jessica Simpson.

The use of buff to mean “an enthusiast for something with a great knowledge of the topic” (eg Ferrari buff (a very devoted crew); film buff (an obsessive lot who take things very seriously); Lindsay Lohan buff (a calling for some)) was related to the color.  Since the 1820s New York City’s volunteer fire-fighters since had been issued buff-colored protective clothing and their image of daring with more than a whiff of danger in the 1890s attracted a following among young men who cherish ambitions to be firemen some day.  This manifested them rushing to the sites of fires at any time of the day or night, just so they could watch the firemen at work, fighting the fire.  There is something about fire which attracts some and in Australia, where bush firs have always been a feature of the hot, dry seasons, there have been cases of volunteer fire-fighters starting fires, apparently just so they can experience the thrill of extinguishing them; fire being fire, sometimes things end very badly.  As early as 1903 the New York Sun was referring to these enthusiasts (had it been later they might have been called “fire groupies”) as “the buffs” and from this use cam the idea of a “buff” being someone devoted to anything although there’s now more often the implication of “great knowledge of the topic).  In the UK military (mostly in plural) a “Buff” was a member of the Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment (1572-1961)) and in numismatic slang, a “buff” was a clipping of Buffalo nickel (a copper–nickel five-cent piece struck by the US Mint 1913-1938.).  In UK slang, Buff also meant “a member of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes” (which is sort of like the Freemasons but without the plotting and scheming”).  The finger food “Buffalo wings” made famous by the admirable Jessica Simpson (b 1980) gained the name because they were first served in 1964 at Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar on Main Street, Buffalo.  Ms Simpson’s confusion about the dish (made with chicken wings) may have been caused by them often appearing on menus as “buffalo wings) with no initial capital.

The BUFF.

In USAF (US Air Force) slang, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (1952-1962 and still in service) is the BUFF (the acronym for Big ugly fat fellow or Big ugly fat fucker depending on who is asking).  From BUFF was derived the companion acronym for the LTV A-7 Corsair II (1965-1984, the last in active service retired in 2014) which was SLUFF (Short Little Ugly Fat Fellow or Short Little Ugly Fat Fucker).  In rail-transport, a “buff” describes the compressive coupler force that occurs during a slack bunched condition (and is related in that sense to “buffer” which is a physical barrier placed to halt the progress of a train to prevent damage to a structure).  In the slang of the dealers of street drugs, “buff” is any substance used to dilute drugs (by volume) in order to increase profits.  The noun “buffware” is not an IT term (although SysAdmins (system administrators) could probably think of a few products which should be so described); it describes pottery in a buff color. 

Highly qualified porn star Busty Buffy.

A “buffster” is someone who is “buffed” (lean, physically fit) and that use of the word emerged from gym culture during the 1980s, under the influence of buff in the sense of “polish to perfection”.  That influenced also the use of buff to mean “physically attractive; desirable” which began in MLE (Multicultural London English) before spreading to other linguistic tribes; the adverb buffly (in a buff manner; attractively or muscularly) can be used of a buffster (one who is fit and with good muscle definition).  In hospital slang, “to buff” means “to alter a medical chart, especially in a dishonest manner”, something which hints there may be something in Evelyn Waugh’s (1903-1966) warning that the greatest risk to one in hospital is “being murdered by the doctors”.  In the slang of graffiti writers (the term “graffiti artist” does now seem accepted by the art market) a “buff” is the act of remove a piece of graffiti by someone other than the creator.  Buffy is an adjective meaning “of or tending to a buff color” (the comparative buffier, the superlative buffiest) but it’s probably now most associated with the pop-culture character “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (which seems to have made it a popular name also for porn stars).  Of the color, “buffish” is the alternative adjective.

The phrase “It’ll buff out” is a joke-line in the collector car market which references attempts to downplay the extent or significance of damage.

In 2005, Lindsay Lohan went for a drive in her Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG roadster.  It didn’t end well.  Based on the R230 (2001-2011) platform, the SL 65 AMG was produced between 2004-2012, all versions rated in excess of 600 horsepower, something perhaps not a wise choice for someone with no background handling such machinery though it could have been worse, the factory building 350 of the even more powerful SL 65 Black Series, the third occasion an SL was offered without a soft-top and the second time one had been configured with a permanent fixed-roof.

Classy Leather’s “Buffalo Hunter”.

Buffalo leather isn’t suitable for all purposes but it is greatly valued because of the combination of its thickness (compared to cow or goat leather or pig skin) and the unique and different grain patterns.  It’s the thickness which adds to the durability of buffalo leather but despite that it remains soft and flexible, making it an ideal material for premium leather goods such as leather bags, leather accessories, jackets etc.  The Classy Leather operation published an informative guide to buffalo leather and included technical information including what must have be a revelation to some: Although the terms “buffalo” and “bison” tend interchangeably to be used in North America, the leathers are quite distinct and what the industry calls “buffalo leather” usually means leather derived from the Asian Water Buffalo.  Buffalo leather comes from domestic buffalos (almost always Asian Water Buffalo) which mostly are raised for milk or meat; at the end of their productive life, the hides are used to make leather and a variety of processing methods are used, designed to suit the skin structure which has large pores.

1974 Suzuki GT750: The “Water Buffalo”.  The front twin disc setup was added in 1973 and was one of the first of its kind.

The Suzuki GT750 was produced between 1971-1977 and was an interesting example of the breed of large-capacity two-stroke motorcycles which provided much excitement and not a few fatalities but which fell victim to increasingly stringent emissions standards and the remarkable improvement in the performance, reliability and refinement of the multi-cylinder four-stroke machines.  One novelty was the GT750 was water-cooled, at the time rarely seen although that meant it missed out on one of Suzuki’s many imaginative acronyms: the RAC (ram air cooling) used on the smaller capacity models.  RAC was a simple aluminum scoop which sat atop the cylinder head and was designed to optimize air-flow.  It was the water-cooling of the GT750 which attracted nicknames but, a generation before the internet, the English language tended still to evolve with regional variations so in England it was “the Kettle”, in Australia “the Water Bottle” and in North America “the Water Buffalo”.  Foreign markets also went their own way, the French favoring “la bouillotte” (the hot water bottle) and the West Germans “Wasserbüffel” (water buffalo).  Suzuki called those sold in North America the "Le Mans" while RoW (rest of the world) models were simply the "GT750".

Numismatic

Numismatic (pronounced noo-miz-mat-ik, noo-mis-mat-ik or nyoo-miz-mak-ik)

(1) Of or pertaining to currency (coins, paper money etc); of or pertaining to historical coins and coinage.

(2) Of or pertaining to medals, tokens etc, based on the resemblance of many to coins (less common).

(3) Pertaining to the hobby or business of numismatics.

1765: From the late sixteenth century French numismatique (of currency; notes & coins), from the New Latin numismaticus, from the Latin numismat- (stem of numisma (coin, currency, stamp on a coin)) from the Greek nomismat- (stem of νόμισμα (nómisma)) (current coin, piece of money; usage (literally "what has been sanctioned by custom or usage”)) + the Latin –icus (-ic).  The Ancient Greek nomizein (have in use, adopt a custom) was from nómos (custom, law, usage), from the primitive Indo-European root nem- (assign, allot; take).  An earlier form in the same sense was the mid seventeenth century nummary, from the Latin nummarius, from nummus (a coin) and in the late fifteenth century a numelarian was a "money-changer" (from the Latin nummularius).  The adjective numismatical dates from 1716).  The existence of the numismatist (a student of historic coins and coinage) was first noted in 1788, from the French numismatiste, from the Latin numismat-, from numisma; it was one of the most developed and documented fields in archeology because metal coins existed in such volume, survived well in the archeological record and were simple to date.  The noun numismatics (the study of coins and medals with especial reference to their history and artistry) was first used in 1829, describing the discipline of the numismatists.  Numismatic & numismatical are adjectives, numismatically is an adverb and numismatist & numismatics are nouns.

Nummular was from the Latin nummulus ((small amount of) money) + the English -ar (the suffix forming adjectives with the sense “of, pertaining to, or near”).  Nummulus was the diminutive of nummus (a coin; piece of money) + -ulus the (diminutive suffix) and nummus was from the Doric Greek νοῦμμος (noûmmos), from the Ancient Greek νόμος (nómos) (usage, custom; kind of coin), from νέμω (némō) (to deal out, dispense, distribute), from νέμειν (nemein) (to dispense, divide, assign, keep, hold), ultimately from the primitive Indo-European nem- (to distribute; to give; to take”) + -ος (-os) (the suffix forming nouns).

The suffix -ic was from the Middle English -ik, from the Old French -ique, from the Latin -icus, from the primitive Indo-European -kos & -ḱos, formed with the i-stem suffix -i- and the adjectival suffix -kos & -ḱos.  The form existed also in the Ancient Greek as -ικός (-ikós), in Sanskrit as -इक (-ika) and the Old Church Slavonic as -ъкъ (-ŭkŭ); A doublet of -y.  In European languages, adding -kos to noun stems carried the meaning "characteristic of, like, typical, pertaining to" while on adjectival stems it acted emphatically; in English it's always been used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning “of or pertaining to”.  A precise technical use exists in physical chemistry where it's used to denote certain chemical compounds in which a specified chemical element has a higher oxidation number than in the equivalent compound whose name ends in the suffix -ous (for example sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) has more oxygen atoms per molecule than sulfurous acid (H₂SO₃).

Numismatics became formalized in the nineteenth century, the Royal Numismatic Society founded in London in 1836, the first meeting of American Numismatic Society conducted in New York in 1858; the US organisation remains one of the nation’s oldest cultural institutions.  Related disciplines include Exonumia (which is the UK is known as paranumismatica) which encompasses coin-like objects such as medals & tokens, whether issued for commemorative purpose or as surrogates for currency.  The surprisingly recent field of notaphily collects and studies paper money (banknotes) which now of course includes the new polymer issues (still mostly refered to as “paper”).  Being in some sense a store of value, paper notes have long been accumulated by many people in many countries but it was only in the 1920s it became an identifiable field.  One aspect which can make notaphily an attractive hobby for a certain sort of collector is that some countries maintain registers of all notes issued which, unlike coins, are individually numbers and therefore unique in a sense minted metal is not.  Many numismatists are both exonumists and notaphilists and some even dabble in scripophily, the study and collection of stocks and bonds, items frequently of artistic as well as historic interest which, being printed usually of paper which was both larger and of higher quality than that used for bank notes, offered designers considerably more scope.  Unlike the metal and paper issues associated with currencies, physical stocks and bonds in the collectable sense are now rare because so much of the transactional record has become digital.  The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) is an educational association founded in 1979 to support and promote the use and collecting of numismatic literature.

One central bank with a great interest in numismatics is the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) which since 1974 has issued hundreds commemorative and other limited-edition runs of currency, the best known of which are the various seven dollar notes issued in honor of successes enjoyed by the national rugby sevens teams.  Most collectors seem to agree the most attractive were the blue notes issued in 2017 to mark the gold medal won at the 2016 Olympic Games and that series was interesting too because one side was printed in portrait mode rather that the in the more usual landscape aspect (although historically, portrait mode was once not uncommon).  Although of interest to collectors, the seven dollar notes were issued in the normal manner, at face value and are counted as part of the Fiji Dollar (FJD) money supply.  On the basis of advertized sale price, it seems perfect copies of the $7 notes trade at a premium of up to 60% against the face value.

More unusual still was the RBF’s recent 88 cent note which used a Chinese theme.  Issued not through the usual channels but sold directly by the bank for FJ$28 (US$12.77), although legal tender within Fiji, the RFB advised the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it was purely a numismatic issue and thus the aggregate value was not be included in the FJD money supply.  Given the spread between the bank’s sell (FJ$28) and buy (FJ$.88) prices, it’s doubtful any will be used as transactional currency.  The design features imagery drawn from Chinese tradition, alongside Fiji’s coat of arms and the RBF were quite open in saying it’s aimed at the Chinese and wider Asian market, cultures in which the number eight is considered lucky and likely to bring wealth and good fortune.  The RBF must have been advised that the more eights the better because the 88 cent collectors' item was released on the eighth day of the eighth month of the year.  Along with all the lucky eights, one side of the note features an image of the Chinese god of wealth and a money tree with the words "Good luck and good fortune. May prosperity be yours" printed in the corner.  On the reverse is a hibiscus flower, the Fijian coat of arms and the signature of the RBF’s governor.

Despite the RBF indicating the note had been introduced purely as a component of their revenue-raising programme, the issue has generated some controversy because of geopolitical tensions associated with concerns over China's increasing interest in seeking to extend its influence in the pacific.  Putting up as solid a defense as that for which Fiji's rugby sevens are renowned, the RBF dismissed any suggestion it was dabbling in foreign affairs and that its issues were "… similar to that of stamp production, whereby hobbyists can purchase the banknotes and coins for their collections" and since 1974 they have issued hundreds of banknotes and coins with themes as varied as Christmas imagery, noted landmarks and Fijian flora & fauna, over the years raising some FJ$8 million.  Opposition politicians seemed suspicious, one noting that while there was nothing unusual about the RBF creating themed numismatics banknotes and coins, they were usually associated with something specific, often a “commemorative event of national and sometimes international significance".  He added that the meaning wasn’t clear asking: “What does it signify? What does this commemorate?"  Commemorative or not, it’s certainly an achievement for the RBF given there can’t have been many who have convinced the Chinese to pay $28 for something worth 88c.

A note with a face value of 88c is certainly unusual but there have been many issued with denominations outside of the long traditional ($1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 100) numbers.  Although the US Treasury in 1969 purged the large value notes (ie anything above US$100), they had earlier printed notes with values has high as US$10,000, these almost unknown in general use, restricted to institutional and inter-departmental purposes.  During the 1930s, there was even a US$100,000 note but it was technically a “Treasury Gold Certificate” which never entered circulation, use restricted to transactions between branches of the Federal Reserve.

Better known still were the big-value notes associated with economies suffering hyperinflation, a phenomenon which affected the Papiermark, the currency of the German Weimar Republic (1918-1933) between 1921-1923 and economists differ on exactly when the post-war inflation became hyperinflation but by 1923, the Reichsbank had been compelled to print 50 trillion (50 billion: 50×10¹²) mark notes and photographs of people using wheelbarrows filled with bundles of banknotes to buy a few groceries are still printed by German newspapers when warning of the dangers of inflation.  That sounds big but in 2008, Zimbabwe’s central bank issued Z$100 trillion (100 billion: 50×10¹⁴) notes.  Although, all other attempts at amelioration having failed, the Zimbabwe government had attempted to solve the problem of inflation by ceasing to publish the data, economic reality anyway proceeded and inflation peaked (and estimates vary, the actual number not that significant above a certain point) at around 250,000,000%, the existence of big-value notes both a symptom an cause of the problem.  Eventually the government gave up on the dollar, announcing a basket of foreign currencies would be regarded as local tender and citizen’s Z$ balances and holdings could be exchanged for US$ (up to a certain value at something of a discount), a move necessitated apart from all else by lacking the funds to have banknotes printed.

The hundred billion dollar note is impressive but in 1946, facing their own problems of hyperinflation (consumer prices having long been more than doubling every day), the government of Hungry issued 100 quintillion (100 million trillion: 100×10²⁰) pengő notes and that’s apparently the largest denomination bill ever issued.  As in Zimbabwe, the big notes made the problem worse and the currency was replaced which meant the 1 sextillion (one thousand million million million: 100×10²¹) pengő notes which had been printed were never issued.

Many countries (and some financial institutions have over the years issued notes in what would now seem irregular values.  Even the old lady of Threadneedle Street (the staid Bank of England) once printed £4, £15, £25, £40 & £80 notes.

Lindsay Lohan one dollar novelty note.