Veeblefetzer
Encyclopedia
Veeblefetzer is a word usually used facetiously as a placeholder name
for any obscure or complicated object or mechanism, such as automobile parts, computer code and model railroad equipment.
A 19th-century Yiddish language
slang word with limited usage is generally accepted as the origin. In German, the verb fetzen means to "rip" or "shred". Textile mills of that period were crammed with loud, complicated and wildly active machinery.
During the 1940s, the inventor Alfred J. Gross
, a pioneer of mobile communications, made an association of the word with modern technology. Gross invented the walkie-talkie
and developed cordless remote telephone signaling (the precursor to the pager
). He was the father of Citizens' Band radio
, and for his "handle" he used the pseudonym Phineas Thadeus Veeblefetzer.
A few years later, Harvey Kurtzman
brought the word into popular usage in his comic book Mad
. In the Kurtzman and Will Elder
satire of the comic strip Gasoline Alley
, titled "Gasoline Valley!", in Mad 15 (September 1954), the character Skizziks opens a shop to repair cracked veeblefetzers. In subsequent issues, Kurtzman used the word for spoofs of big business, with North American Veeblefetzer featured in satires of in-house company newsletters, corporate annual reports and more.
Placeholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed...
for any obscure or complicated object or mechanism, such as automobile parts, computer code and model railroad equipment.
A 19th-century Yiddish language
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
slang word with limited usage is generally accepted as the origin. In German, the verb fetzen means to "rip" or "shred". Textile mills of that period were crammed with loud, complicated and wildly active machinery.
During the 1940s, the inventor Alfred J. Gross
Alfred J. Gross
Alfred J. Gross , a.k.a. Irving J. Gross was a pioneer in mobile wireless communication. He created and patented many communications devices, specifically in relation to an early version of the walkie-talkie, Citizens' Band radio, the telephone pager and the cordless telephone...
, a pioneer of mobile communications, made an association of the word with modern technology. Gross invented the walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
and developed cordless remote telephone signaling (the precursor to the pager
Pager
A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call...
). He was the father of Citizens' Band radio
Citizens' band radio
Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur radio...
, and for his "handle" he used the pseudonym Phineas Thadeus Veeblefetzer.
A few years later, Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic books and magazines. Kurtzman often signed his name H. Kurtz, followed by a stick figure Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic...
brought the word into popular usage in his comic book Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
. In the Kurtzman and Will Elder
Will Elder
William Elder was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art, but is best known for a zany cartoon style that helped launch Harvey Kurtzman's Mad comic book in 1952....
satire of the comic strip Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley is a comic strip created by Frank King and currently distributed by Tribune Media Services. First published November 24, 1918, it is the second longest running comic strip in the US and has received critical accolades for its influential innovations...
, titled "Gasoline Valley!", in Mad 15 (September 1954), the character Skizziks opens a shop to repair cracked veeblefetzers. In subsequent issues, Kurtzman used the word for spoofs of big business, with North American Veeblefetzer featured in satires of in-house company newsletters, corporate annual reports and more.
Popular culture
- In the 1966 film Mad Monster Party?Mad Monster Party?Mad Monster Party is a 1967 American animated comedy film released by Embassy Pictures for Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.-Plot:...
, co-scripted by Harvey KurtzmanHarvey KurtzmanHarvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic books and magazines. Kurtzman often signed his name H. Kurtz, followed by a stick figure Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic...
, a veeblefetzer display is damaged in the store near the beginning of the film. - In the 1978 short film The Magnificent Major, Daisy Bunsen (Tisha Campbell) uses a veeblefetzer, resembling something like a dish with three metal bars coming to a point at the top, to travel to an illiterate future.
- In the 1985 film Reel HorrorReel HorrorReel Horror is a 1985 horror/comedy film directed by Ross Hagen from a screenplay by Jeanne Lucas, composed primarily of footage from other films, in two of which Hagen acted...
, "veebelfetzers" are mentioned in a sing-along song that is supposedly hypnotizing a movie theatre audience. - In the "Warren" episode of Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
, guest Gary OwensGary OwensGary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...
, who voiced the original Space GhostSpace GhostSpace Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
, tells Zorak, "Hand me that veeblefetzer, will you?" - In his autobiography, Adventures of a No-name Actor, actor Marco PerellaMarco PerellaMarco Perella is a Texan character actor and author, who has played a variety of bit part characters in films shot in Texas over the last twenty years, as well as a recurring role in Walker, Texas Ranger, playing Cobalt.-Career:...
describes a commercial audition for a company he nicknamed "Hydrogenated Veeblefetzer International." - In Don RosaDon RosaKeno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
's Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
comic "Recalled Wreck" from 1987, Donald mentions how he has built his car with various spare parts, and a veeblefetzer. - In the mini-series Boardwalk Empire, episode 17, "Gimcrack & Bunkum" (2011), Eli Thompson (Shea WhighamShea WhighamFranklin Shea Whigham, Jr. , best known as Shea Whigham, is an American actor notably starring as Elias "Eli" Thompson on the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire.-Early life:...
) sends his son to a neighbor to borrow a left-handed veeblefetzer.