Way too much over-thinking goin’ on here! Edd Byrne’s original remarks callin’ the gals ‘Ginchy’ and ‘The Ginchiest’ always meant, the coolest, the hippest, the prettiest, the smartest, the most fun to be around and all the like, always meant to be clean, complimentary meanings in favor of the female, a hot rod, or any other fantastically cool thing or event!!
What others chose to do with the words in the latter years like all American slang, is nothing anyone can ever predict.
Guessing the 1970s meaning is from confusion with “gunshy.”
Selwyn-Lloyd:
June 28th, 2016 at 8:56 pm
Gun-shy is a great explanation for the transition; I’m a youngin, so I always knew ‘ginchy’ to mean apprehensive, almost twitchy. It’s used by some (non-American) golf commentators to describe an easy putt that a player mishits.
Gokartmozart:
September 22nd, 2017 at 10:43 pm
As usual, I will defer to the vast genius of the Simpsons: “Do you, Jane Seymour, take this king to be your lawfully wedded husband till your first little spat?
I do. I double do! Henry is the ginchiest!”
Happy Days – Season 2, Episode 11 – Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas: Fonzie spends Xmas with the Cunninghams, but first, at Arnold’s, he gives out his gifts to the girls; with each gift fortifying Fonzie’s Kookie connection by saying “You’re the ginchiest.”
Curt:
November 18th, 2021 at 1:03 pm
Edd Byrnes was reported to have spent many hours hanging out at LA dining car restaurants and other places where hipsters hung out recording their expressions. He was said to have compiled his own dictionary of hipster talk. Anyone know where I might find a copy of it? Have never seen a recent mention of such a dictionary in many, many years.
Tony Rodelle Larson:
December 24th, 2021 at 11:02 pm
Gincheroonie
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Nancy:
October 1st, 2013 at 9:44 am
“Ginch” is Canadian regional slang for “underwear,” probably from Ukrainian “gatky” (or “gatsi”). There’s a Canadian underwear company called Ginch Gonch: http://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/2013/05/underwear-week-ginch-gonch.html
Donald K Cook:
December 25th, 2014 at 10:07 am
Way too much over-thinking goin’ on here! Edd Byrne’s original remarks callin’ the gals ‘Ginchy’ and ‘The Ginchiest’ always meant, the coolest, the hippest, the prettiest, the smartest, the most fun to be around and all the like, always meant to be clean, complimentary meanings in favor of the female, a hot rod, or any other fantastically cool thing or event!!
What others chose to do with the words in the latter years like all American slang, is nothing anyone can ever predict.
Rhet Lickliter:
January 8th, 2015 at 10:58 am
It def means cool, the coolest, hip, far out, the best, beautiful, sexy.
Sean Duggan:
January 14th, 2015 at 2:33 pm
FWIW, “ginchy” was also used by Mell, one of characters in Narbonic as seen in http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic_plus/series.php?view=archive&chapter=40926 and other strips. She seems to use it in the “cool” sense.
suspect:
June 2nd, 2015 at 11:43 am
Guessing the 1970s meaning is from confusion with “gunshy.”
Selwyn-Lloyd:
June 28th, 2016 at 8:56 pm
Gun-shy is a great explanation for the transition; I’m a youngin, so I always knew ‘ginchy’ to mean apprehensive, almost twitchy. It’s used by some (non-American) golf commentators to describe an easy putt that a player mishits.
Gokartmozart:
September 22nd, 2017 at 10:43 pm
As usual, I will defer to the vast genius of the Simpsons: “Do you, Jane Seymour, take this king to be your lawfully wedded husband till your first little spat?
I do. I double do! Henry is the ginchiest!”
CreativeITWorld.com:
March 31st, 2018 at 6:59 pm
Happy Days – Season 2, Episode 11 – Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas: Fonzie spends Xmas with the Cunninghams, but first, at Arnold’s, he gives out his gifts to the girls; with each gift fortifying Fonzie’s Kookie connection by saying “You’re the ginchiest.”
Curt:
November 18th, 2021 at 1:03 pm
Edd Byrnes was reported to have spent many hours hanging out at LA dining car restaurants and other places where hipsters hung out recording their expressions. He was said to have compiled his own dictionary of hipster talk. Anyone know where I might find a copy of it? Have never seen a recent mention of such a dictionary in many, many years.
Tony Rodelle Larson:
December 24th, 2021 at 11:02 pm
Gincheroonie