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Permalink Reply by Victor Rubicon on April 27, 2012 at 6:42am

Snobs are selfish, insecure persons, so I do not have anything in common with them, and I am friends with none. I have been subjected to snobbery but quickly as I could made the snobs responsible for it irrelevant and unnecessary.

Thank you, Marianne, for providing the origin of the word, very interesting.

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Permalink Reply by Adriana on April 27, 2012 at 7:12am

The Oxford Dictionary thinks that the "sine nobilitate" origin if the word is highly unlikely, because apparently it was a word to mean "shoemaker":

What is the origin of the word 'snob'?

People often claim that this word originated as an abbreviated form of the Latin phrase sine nobilitate, meaning 'without nobility' (i.e. 'of a humble social background'). Various accounts of the circumstances in which this abbreviation was supposedly used have been put forward: on lists of names of Oxford or Cambridge students; on lists of ships' passengers (to make sure that only the best people dined at the captain's table); on lists of guests to indicate that no title was required when they were announced.

The theory is ingenious but highly unlikely. The word snob  is first recorded in the late 18th century as a term for a shoemaker or his apprentice. At about this time it was indeed adopted by Cambridge students, but they didn't use it to refer to students who lacked a title or were of humble origins; they used it generally of anyone who was not a student.

By the early 19th century snob was being used to mean a person with no 'breeding', both the honest labourers who knew their place, and the vulgar social climbers who copied the manners of the upper classes. In time the word came to describe someone with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who looks down on those regarded as socially inferior.

It's quite possible that the phrase sine nobilitate may have appeared in one context or another, but it is difficult to see why it would have given rise to a word for a shoemaker.

Oh, crap, does posting this make me an intellectual snob? LOLZ

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Permalink Reply by Marianne on April 27, 2012 at 3:48pm

I'm glad you posted this Adriana;  it's always good to have the information right and I was curious (maybe disdainful) (does that make me a snob of snobs !) to learn more about this.  So if that makes you a snob it does make me one too ! LOLTZ

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Permalink Reply by Adriana on April 27, 2012 at 4:11pm

We really snob all the snobs! We are the queens of snobbery! Hahahaha!

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Permalink Reply by Marc on April 27, 2012 at 9:55pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ojY1Sj...

J'suis snob... J'suis snob

C'est vraiment l'seul défaut que j'gobe

Ça demande des mois d'turbin
C'est une vie de galérien
Mais lorsque je sors à son bras
Je suis fier du résultat
J'suis snob... Foutrement snob
Tous mes amis le sont
On est snobs et c'est bon

Chemises d'organdi, chaussures de zébu
Cravate d'Italie et méchant complet vermoulu
Un rubis au doigt... de pied, pas çui-là
Les ongles tout noirs et un tres joli p'tit mouchoir
J'vais au cinéma voir des films suédois
Et j'entre au bistro pour boire du whisky à gogo
J'ai pas mal au foie, personne fait plus ça
J'ai un ulcère, c'est moins banal et plus cherJ'suis snob... J'suis snob
J'm'appelle Patrick, mais on dit Bob
Je fais du ch'val tous les matins
Car j'ador' l'odeur du crottin
Je ne fréquente que des baronnes
Aux noms comme des trombones
J'suis snob... Excessivement snob
Et quand j'parle d'amour
C'est tout nu dans la cour

On se réunit avec les amis
Tous les vendredis, pour faire des snobisme-parties
Il y a du coca, on deteste ça
Et du camembert qu'on mange à la petite cuiller
Mon appartement est vraiment charmant
J'me chauffe au diamant, on n'peut rien rêver d'plus fumant
J'avais la télé, mais ça m'ennuyait
Je l'ai r'tournée... d'l'aut' côté c'est passionnant

J'suis snob... J'suis snob
J'suis ravagé par ce microbe
J'ai des accidents en Jaguar
Je passe le mois d'août au plumard
C'est dans les p'tits détails comme ça
Que l'on est snob ou pas
J'suis snob... Encor plus snob que tout à l'heure
Et quand je serai mort
J'veux un suaire de chez Dior!

Boris Vian (March 10, 1920 June 23, 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer.
here is his lavish song "J'suis Snob"

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Permalink Reply by Jaume on April 28, 2012 at 7:28am

Boris Vian - the geniusest singer/songwriter ever.

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Permalink Reply by Adriana on April 28, 2012 at 11:54am

Ha! Loved it!

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Permalink Reply by Jaume on April 28, 2012 at 7:24am

The theory is ingenious but highly unlikely.

Not unlikely: more likely a combination of both. When humanities was the queen of academic disciplines, college students were very fond of etymological word games like this. Maybe 'sine nobilitate' came out as a explanation while they were pondering the origin of the obscure 'snob' (shoemaker) while inebriating themselves (remember they're college students), and these elitist smartasses then thought the word was a perfect fit to refer to non-students. Or maybe 'sine nobilitate' came first (remember this is happening in 19th century England!) but was too cumbersome an expression for common use, when someone realized the colloquial 'snob' (shoemaker) would be a perfect shorhand for it. I don't find any of these scenarios unlikely, on the contrary, I think they're both more plausible than 'snob' coming out of 'sine nobilitate' all by itself, or than 'shoemaker' just being picked at random to refer to non-students. It's likely our modern 'snob' needed both (a preexistent word and an ad hoc etymological justification) to come to life. And I believe linguists even have a term for this, although it escapes me at the moment.

By the way - I go barefoot most of the time, therefore I'm not a snob (most of the time, at least!) ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Adriana on April 28, 2012 at 8:08am

Yes, that's exactly what the article said, Jaume, that it is likely that the students made up "sine nobilitate" as an origin because they were, well, a bunch of snobs!

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Permalink Reply by Jaume on April 28, 2012 at 9:03am

Hehe - yes, but the article also says, "it is difficult to see why it would have given rise to a word for a shoemaker", and my point is it's not difficult at all: you only have to lock a handful of frat boys in a room full of booze for it to happen.

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Permalink Reply by Adriana on April 28, 2012 at 11:52am

Ah, yes, well, of course. Inebriation is probably the cause of many more things than we give it credit for! Including many births :-)

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