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Mar 11, 2022 · Ysbrand Cosijn/Shutterstock. How curious that the expression "smart alec," which The Urban Dictionary considers to be a family-friendly phrase, has its origins in a sinister tale of true crime and deception. This absolutely true story, dug up by a language historian in 1985 (per Mental Floss ), involves theft, bribery, and prostitution.
- Becky Pritchard
Apr 19, 2024 · Alec Hoag’s name is still used today to describe someone who thinks they’re smarter than they really are - a ‘Smart Alec’. The fascinating story was shared by Cody Tucker with his 357,000 ...
Nov 23, 2021 · 23 November 2021. A smart aleck or smart alec is a person who annoyingly expresses their knowledge or intelligence, a person who is too clever by half. While the meaning is well established and clear, the etymology is not. We just don’t know who the original Aleck or Alec was. All we know is that the phrase first appeared in the 1860s and ...
Nov 8, 2017 · Alec Hoag was a pimp who lived in New York City in the 1840s. On top of being a pimp, he was also a con man and a thief. He and his wife, Melinda, would work as a team to trick unsuspecting men out of whatever they had on them at the time. Their first scheme was a simple one.
Nov 22, 2013 · Hoag promptly escaped from prison, with the help of his brother, but was eventually recaptured. Alec Hoag was then given the nickname “Smart Alec” by the police for being too smart for his own good. The thought is that the police then used this term when dealing with other criminals who seemed a little too smart for their own good, often ...
May 9, 2002 · SMART ALECK - "If there ever lived a real 'smart Aleck,' an Alexander so much of an obnoxiously conceited know-it-all that his name became proverbial, no record of him exists. The term can be traced back to about the 1860s and is still frequently used for a wise guy today. The original 'smart aleck' may have been at least clever enough to cover ...
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Jan 30, 2022 · A smug, smart Alec has surprisingly sordid origins (Picture: Getty) He and his wife, Melinda, would work as a team to trick unsuspecting men out of whatever they had on them at the time.
