Break from the Grind August 30, 2019

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: From Where Did the Term ‘Cooties’ Come?

Young children have been know to tease others about having "cooties."
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From where did the term “cooties” come?

The online etymology dictionary says the word came from the Malay (Austronesian) word “kutu,” the name of some parasitic, biting insect.

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However, reports reveal that the popularity as a slang insult originated in World War I. As a nickname for body lice or head lice, cooties first appeared in trenches slang in 1915. It’s apparently derived from the coot, a species of waterfowl supposedly known for being infested with lice and other parasites.

According to Grammarphobia, the earliest example of “cooties” in the Oxford English Dictionary appears in “From the Fire Step,” a 1917 memoir by Arthur Guy Empey about his experiences as an American serving in the British Army:

“‘Does the straw bother you, mate? It’s worked through my uniform and I can’t sleep.’ In a sleepy voice he answered, ‘That ain’t straw, them’s cooties.’”

The noun “cooties” was derived from a slightly earlier WWI word, “cooty,” an adjective meaning infested with lice and first recorded in 1915. The phrase “going cooty” meant getting lice and being quarantined for de-lousing.

Later, the word “cooties,” came to be used loosely (and often humorously) to mean imaginary germs or bugs. In “Tradition and Change in American Playground Language,” a 1973 paper in The Journal of American Folklore, Herbert and Mary Knapp say children can be protected by inoculating themselves with a “cootie shot.” In different versions of the game, the inoculation includes such ritualistic expressions as “Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now you’ve got a cootie shot.”
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Administration August 30, 2019

New York State Public Retirement Fund Assumed Rate of Return Lowered

“As in years past, we’re taking the responsible action of lowering our assumed rate of return now so we can better weather market volatility,” New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said.

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New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the New York State and Local Retirement System’s (NYSLRS) long-term assumed rate of return on investments will be lowered from 7% to 6.8%, anticipating a lower return investment environment.

This marks the third time that DiNapoli has lowered the state pension fund’s assumed rate of return as economic and demographic conditions have changed. In 2010, he decreased the rate from 8% to 7.5%, and in 2015 to 7%.

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“Through solid investment returns, prudent management and a diverse portfolio we have kept the state pension fund strong and one of the best funded in the nation. The long-term outlook for investors is changing and requires a more conservative approach. As in years past, we’re taking the responsible action of lowering our assumed rate of return now so we can better weather market volatility,” DiNapoli said.

Among the 127 plans the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) measured in 2017, nearly three-fourths reduced their investment return assumption since fiscal year 2010. NASRA found public plans that reduce their return assumption in the face of diminished near-term projections will experience an immediate increase in unfunded liabilities and required costs.

Researchers from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found a decline in assumed rates of return due to lower assumed inflation combined with a change in asset allocations, resulting in a higher expected real return, has increased long-term costs for public pensions. The researchers say the decline in assumed rates of return is due to lower assumed inflation, so the increase in costs is much smaller than if the decline in the assumed return was due to a lower assumed real return.

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