Geoduck

geoduck Panope generosa, the largest burrowing clam in the world, is found on the Pacific coast of N. America from Vancouver Island to California. Its common name, thought to be of Indian origin, may appear as gweduc or goeduck or even gooeyduck, the last version being closest to the usual pronunciation of the name. According to another story, aired in the correspondence columns of the Tacoma Daily Ledger in July 1917, the Indians in the neighbourhood of Puget Sound knew the creature by a name which was pronounced ‘hyas squish-squish’; and it was a certain John F. Gowey whose own name supplanted the original one. Mr Gowey was an ardent duck-hunter. On one occasion, when no ducks were to be seen, the volatile marksman fired at the jets of water emitted by these huge clams and ‘bagged’ several of them. Hence Gowey’s ducks, later corrupted to gooeyducks. This story is not supported by Webster’s dictionary.