Veeblefetzer

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Veeblefetzer is a purposely nonsensical sounding word (at least to the English-speaking ear) applied to any sort of obscure or complicated object, e.g. a piece of computer code, model railroad equipment, auto parts, etc.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Mad (magazine) used the word along these lines, especially in its send-ups of big business. "North American Veeblefetzer" was the subject of satires of corporate annual reports, an in-house company newsletter and more. A Veeblefetzer, in their case, was a robot-like device that did something or other.

The earliest recorded use of “Veeblefetzer” was by Alfred J. Gross, a pioneer of mobile communications. He invented the walkie-talkie, developed cordless remote telephone signaling (the precursor to the pager) and was the father of the CB radio. His CB “handle” or pseudonym, adopted in the 1940s, was Phineas Thadeus Veeblefetzer.

Whether or not Al Gross influenced Mad’s use of the word, the origin for both was probably a 19th century Yiddish language slang word, possibly with limited usage. In German, "Fetzer" is any contraption, while "Veeble" is a likely corruption of "Webel" -- meaning weaving. Textile mills of this period were crammed with very complicated, wildly active and very loud pieces of machinery.

[edit] In popular culture

  • In the 1966 film, Mad Monster Party?, 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 Horror, "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 Coast, guest Gary Owens, who voiced the original Space Ghost asks Zorak to, "hand me that veebelfetzer, will you?"
  • In his autobiography, Adventures of a No-name Actor, actor Marco Perella describes a commercial audition for a company he nicknamed "Hydrogenated Veeblefetzer International".