this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2026
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Dad Jokes
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doesn't seem to be a clear answer. Wikipedia says it comes from oltre-eschelture an old French form analogous to "ultra-kilter," i.e. outside of an orderly state. other sources say it's a reduplication (like "super-duper" or "fancy-schmancy") based on the Germanic word skelt, which Wiktionary claims means to yell or be noisy, related to "scold," while Webster claims that skelt means to come and go
Thank you for the effort. Albeit unresolving.