What the F@#k is a Hoosier??

As the 2005-06 college basketball season officially tips tonight off for my Indiana Hoosiers against the mighty Colonels of Nichols State, I thought I would link to a story that answers the all-important question: What the f@#k is a Hoosier??

Whatever its origin, historians agree that the nickname for Indiana residents was popularized in the 1800s by novels such as Edward Eggleston's The Hoosier School-Master, by Riley's poetry, and by newspaper articles that used it. As a result, although its historical roots may never be discovered, Hoosier is perhaps the most widely recognized state nickname. But even this modern meaning is ambiguous, and the word's use ranges from complimentary to derisive, depending on who is using it.

Derisive? Speaking of, my good buddy har-dee-har-har Harper tries to be clever with this:

Alternate etymologies of the word include the following:

From the early settlement of Indiana, where rampant promiscuity occurred. Illegitimate offspring, craving purebred lineage, were often heard asking each other, "So, hoosier daddy?" Thus, "who's your" became "hoosier."

From the early settlement of Indiana, where rampant drinking occurred. Intoxicated men who were separated from their women were heard slurring "hoosiers" over and over again. The true meaning of the word was not uncovered until the son of one of these men moved to Florida and opened a restaurant. Thus, "hoosiers" was successfully translated into "hooters."

So good luck to my Hoosier cagers this year--whatever the nickname might mean. But to me and countless others, it means basketball.