18 Truly Surprising Word Origins

12 Smart Aleck
12
The phrase “Smart Aleck” refers specifically to a (literal) pimp named Alec Hoag, who teamed up with his wife in 1840s New York to trick people out of their money. His wife would seduce the men and bring them home, and Aleck would sneak into the room through a secret sliding wall and steal their stuff while they were sleeping. Back in the 1840s, this kind of thing was thought to be just unbelievably smart.