hosey
(hō'zē)
intr.v. New England., -seyed, -sey·ing, -seys.
To choose sides for a children's game.
[Perhaps from French (je) choisis, (I) choose, first person sing. present of choisir, to choose, from Old French.
REGIONAL NOTE Children in New England, especially in the Boston area, use the expression I hosey when they are choosing sides for a game. The Boston Globe asked readers about it in late 1987 and received responses from Boston; Belmont, Massachusetts; New Hampshire; and Maine. Its users agree that it is a children's expression but are unsure of its origin—some think that it derives from a pronunciation of choose with a heavy Irish brogue. Another possible origin of the expression is French-Canadian choisir, “to choose.”