nitwits

[Kilgourmb@aol.com]

Andre's note that "nitwit" is reminiscent of the dutch for "not knowing"
(niet weten) sent me to Random House dictionary where their etymology gives
"nit (<German dialect var. of nicht) +wit.  It shows the entry for wit as
(1). Archaic: to know. from Middle English witen (compare Dutch weten, German
wissen).

Random House editors may think it comes from German, but I prefer to think
that our Pilgrim parents, who sojourned in Holland for a time, or the
Dutchmen who bought Manhattan from the Indians for $24 worth of beads,
brought the Dutch niet weten with them.  What a wonderful richness that gives
to that word.  It's like the richness of that concert piano being played by a
fine pianist.  Thank you, Andre.

Martha Kilgour