# The meaning of Notary Sojac **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 14, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715 "2007-10-14T21:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ccdesan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@ccdesan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccdesan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/1 "2007-10-14T21:03:22Z")
The official Smokey Stover page claims that “Notary Sojac” means “Merry Christmas” in Gaelic. The Irish version (Nollaig Shona) could _possibly_ be morphed into that by violent wordplay, in the same way that “À toute à l’heure” became “Toodle-oo”, but it’s a bit of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/2 "2007-10-14T21:09:14Z")
Welcome to the Boards. A link to the column is always appreciated. [What’s the origin of “notary sojac”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msojac.html) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/3 "2007-10-14T23:18:11Z")
“À toute à l’heure” becoming “toodle-oo” is at best just a wild guess, and it’s probably wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/4 "2007-10-15T12:20:01Z")
Seeing as how Notary Sojac is so close to “Notary Public,” I find the “Merry Christmas” explanation a little hard to swallow. foo! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/5 "2007-10-15T14:44:39Z")
[QUOTE=ccdesan] The Irish version (Nollaig Shona) could _possibly_ be morphed into that by violent wordplay… [/QUOTE] Well, Smokey Stover was full of the most violent wordplay, as I recall, so that could make some sense, though Holman also lied a lot. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/6 "2007-10-15T19:56:21Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] “À toute à l’heure” becoming “toodle-oo” is at best just a wild guess, and it’s probably wrong. [/QUOTE] French _À tout à l’heure_ (note tout rather than toute) has the advantage of sounding quite a bit like English toodle-oo and having the same idiomatic sense (“See you later”). It’s far from proven, but I agree with [Evan Morris](http://www.word-detective.com/111606C.html#toodle) when he says it seems plausible. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/7 "2007-10-16T01:06:21Z")
[QUOTE=bibliophage] French _À tout à l’heure_ (note tout rather than toute) has the advantage of sounding quite a bit like English toodle-oo and having the same idiomatic sense (“See you later”). It’s far from proven, but I agree with [Evan Morris](http://www.word-detective.com/111606C.html#toodle) when he says it seems plausible. [/QUOTE] But, Evan says, in his final summation, > [@](#): > > If I had to bet, I’d put my money on this “horn” derivation and chalk up the French phrase to an interesting coincidence. . ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/8 "2007-10-16T01:42:11Z")
FWIW Nollaig shona is pronounced “nullig hunnah” or something thereabouts. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/9 "2007-10-16T18:52:48Z")
I’d never even heard of “Notary Sojac” until this moment. Where does it appear nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![notarysojac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@notarysojac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notarysojac)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/10 "2010-03-28T21:09:43Z")
My father was a member of the National Cartoonist’s Society and personally asked Bill Holman (at my request) “What is the meaning/origin of ‘Notary Sojac’”. My Dad then reported to me that Holman told him, “It’s just nonsense - something I made up - doesn’t mean anything”. I tend to believe that is the true story on “Notary Sojac”. And - I also believe it does not diminish, by a grain’s weight, the fabulous genius of Bill Holman. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/11 "2010-03-29T15:00:37Z")
Personally, I’m just happy that people are actually discussing the substance of my article rather than the “republican dogma” line I threw in. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/12 "2010-03-29T16:23:10Z")
_Notary Sojac is fourth And in last place I believe it is Yes, it is…Feetlebauuuuuum!_ -Spike Jones, “William Tell Overture” ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/13 "2010-04-01T03:25:25Z")
Along the same line as Notary Sojac is the cryptic “Clyde Diddit” from the old Archie comics. I don’t ever recall a Clyde character and it was never used in the context of a name anyway. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/14 "2010-04-01T06:30:22Z")
[Eeek! Zombie! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/15 "2010-04-01T17:46:26Z")
A zombie from 2 days ago? 😕 **Peanuthead** , google is your friend. [http://www.comicvine.com/clyde-diddit/29-67076/](http://www.comicvine.com/clyde-diddit/29-67076/) > [@](#): > > Clyde Diddit was Archie Comics answer to Alfred E. Newman introduced in Archie’s Madhouse (later Archie’s Mad House to emphasize whom just whom they were copying) More there. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/16 "2010-04-01T23:43:29Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > A zombie from 2 days ago? 😕 2007 was two days ago:confused:? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/17 "2010-04-02T12:54:24Z")
We’re less concerned about zombie threads in this forum than elsewhere. The problem with resurrecting old threads is that the people who posted several years ago are often not around to read them (or not paying attention to them any more). This can be an issue in forums like the Pit or MPSIMS, but it’s not usually a difficulty here. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715/18 "2010-04-02T16:31:56Z")
**Hilarity N. Suze** said: > [@](#): > > 2007 was two days ago? 😕 We’re apparently looking at different things. I missed it was from 2007 when it showed up on Mar 28. Then it was off the page for 2 days before popping up on the 31, and then you declared “zombie”.