Dippin’ Knowing the Difference
Dippin’ has several different connotations. Back in history when a charlatan or cad riled up the community they would heat up black, sticky tar and dip the person in it coat the cad in the tar then liberally cover him in feathers. If the crowd was in sensed enough, they would tie the person onto a rail and run him out of town.
History also tells us that farmers and sheepherders would wash the sheep before shearing and dip them in a solution that would kill parasites keeping the flock safe from disease for the coming season. That was the annual sheep dip. The flock would be free of the heavy fleece and free from parasites.
When outhouses were the norm and people lived in larger areas of farms and homesteads, when the privy hole became filled to capacity, the homesteader and farmer would dig another pit close by, move the shanty, and start another repository for their waste products. Later as towns and cities were formed, there was no room to move the outhouses and an occupation grew up emptying the putrid pits to make them usable again. These men were called “honey dippers.” With shovels, buckets, and boots they climbed down inside, hauling away the sewage. Today, men come in a large tanker truck and use a hose to empty septic tanks when they become full.
Also back in the past, men and women used tobacco ground up into a powder. They would sniff this tobacco for the nicotine and to sneeze. Snuff has maintained its popularity, but the tobacco is ground more coarsely and is tucked into the mouth between cheeks and gums. This was called dippin’ snuff. Sometimes the more “elite” will buy snuff that is sewn into small packets, but the results are still the same. That’s their vice, but I do dislike seeing streaks of brown tobacco juice trailing down their chin and staining whiskers. One thing I’, grateful is that most women who chew or dip snuff is that they don’t have beards.
More recently dippin’ sauces have become popular, while a person who gets caught double dippin’ is frowned upon, whether the person has a chip in their hand or whether they are attempting to receive benefits several times from an agency from the same dosor.