I can’t remember the name of a toon strip I used to read, but in each weekly instalment there appeared the words-Nov Shmov Kapop. I’ve heard that there is a language in which thi sphrase has meaning. Does anyone know the name of this toon strip from the 1930’s and possibly into the 1940’s? And if this indeed is a real language, which one is it and what does it mean?
Interesting. I know that phrase from Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, who would sometimes use that as a sign off at the end of his essays.
The comic was called The Squirrel Cage by Gene Ahern. The character who held up the “Nov Shmoz Ka Pop?” sign was called the Little Hitchhiker. It doesn’t mean anything.
I’ve never actually seen this strip, but I used to see the phrase referenced in old Mad magazines.
A quick search suggests that the strip was “Smokey Stover,” (1935-1973), by Bill Holman. Holman used to fill the strip with puns and nonsense catchphrases, including “foo,” 1506 nix-nix," and “Notary Sojac.” Holman basically just made these up, although he would sometimes give convoluted and often contradictory stories about their origin.
The variations reported on that page are interesting. The references in Mad I mentioned usually spelled it like the OP did–with a “Shmov.”
I see that Carcosa’s link explains that my own misrecollection is a very common one - that was the sort of thing Smokey Stover was apt to include.