From TheBestLinks.com
Hoosiers is a name for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana; it is commonly accepted and employed at all levels of discourse by Hoosiers themselves, and is considered neither derogatory nor informal. The word ‘Indianan’, as either noun or adjective, is rarely if ever used by an actual native of Indiana. Deriving from common usage, Hoosiers is the team name for Indiana University athletic teams, and a movie about basketball in Indiana was also called ‘Hoosiers’.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the etymology of the name is unknown but it has been in use since at least 1826. According to Bill Bryson, there are many suggestions for the derivation of the word ‘Hoosier’, but none is universally accepted.
One of them is that the word derived from a contractor in 1825 named either Samuel Hoosier or Hoosher. His workers, who helped build a canal on the Ohio River, were predominantly from Indiana. They were called ‘Hoosier’s men’ or ‘Hoosiers’.
A more gruesome, and most likely untrue, explanation for the term relates to many a fight that happened in the taverns and inns in the early 19th century. A common practice during fights was to attempt to remove the opponent’s ear by biting or cutting it off. Afterwards, it’s said, someone would hold up the ear and yell “Whose ear?”, which became the basis for ‘Hoosier’.
Another — probably more plausible — explanation is that the term may derive from ‘hoozer’ — a word that in the Cumberland dialect of Old England means “high hills”.
Humorist Dave Barry has suggested that it comes from “the sound pigs make when they sneeze”.
In addition, Hoosier is a brand name, particularly kitchen cabinets, tables and chairs. This furniture is much sought after in the antique world. Little is known about this furniture company, other that it was based in Indiana.
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