# What a Maroon! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613 "2015-03-09T17:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/21 "2015-03-10T04:18:16Z")
We’ve been here before: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-25808.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-25808.html) ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/22 "2015-03-10T15:02:29Z")
My apologies, Marion Wormer. I’m still pretty new here and although I’m trying to gradually read up on the old posts, I hadn’t encountered the one you linked to yet. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/23 "2015-03-10T16:38:51Z")
That was an act of die-a-bow-lick-al sab-o-tajee. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/24 "2015-03-10T17:44:50Z")
Bugs also has called other characters “im-BEH-cile” and “ultra-MAROON”. Pretty sure it’s just for comedic effect. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/25 "2015-03-10T22:57:01Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Said about a bull during fight of same: > > “What a gulla-bull. What a nin-cow-poop. What an im-bess-ill. What an ultra-maroon.” Chuck Jones at his finest - the look on the bull’s face as the Rube Goldberg-ian steps play out to have Bugs win (of course you know: this means war!) is priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/26 "2015-03-10T23:20:42Z")
[Zapp Brannigan]: “You want the rest of the cham-paggin?” [/ZB] ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/27 "2015-03-10T23:33:37Z")
I went to undergrad at the U of Chicago (nickname: the Maroons). The campus film society occasionally showed cartoons before the main movie. Every so often a Bugs cartoon would have the “what a maroon” insult, which would get a nice cheer from the crowd. I always assumed it was a mispronunciation of moron. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/28 "2015-03-11T08:07:06Z")
And the extreme of “maroon” was “ultra-maroon” . . . possibly after “ultramarine”, the blue pigment that was standard in WB cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/29 "2015-03-11T09:22:24Z")
Quite a party you’ve got going here. Shall I pass around the horse dervs? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/30 "2015-03-11T14:50:02Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, "[maroon" (noun](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maroon)) is: > > (1) a fugitive black slave of the West Indies and Guiana in the 17th and 18th centuries; also : a descendant of such a slave > (2) a person who is marooned > (3) a dark red A maroon is also a firework. Usually a nautical one used by ships summoning help or by a lifeboat station to summon the lifeboatmen. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/31 "2015-03-11T15:16:45Z")
> [@funky\_little\_lee](#): > > Bugs also has called other characters “im-BEH-cile” and “ultra-MAROON”. Pretty sure it’s just for comedic effect. He also, as I recall, uses stradge-itty to foil his opponents. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/32 "2015-03-12T00:04:18Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > My apologies, Marion Wormer. > > I’m still pretty new here and although I’m trying to gradually read up on the old posts, I hadn’t encountered the one you linked to yet. Oh, honey, sorry I came across as pushy. I just thought people might like to read the older comments (hugs) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/33 "2015-03-12T00:18:30Z")
I don’t think it was Bugs, but some recurrent WB character used to be vexed by his nemesis a lot. His comeback was to insist “I’ll moidalize 'im” meaning murderize, AKA kill. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613/34 "2015-03-12T00:27:59Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#): > > I knew a person who insisted “fragile” was pronounced (if I can do it) “fra-ghi-lee” Obviously a Marxist… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-a-maroon/714613.md?page=1)