hosey

(hōˈzē)

intransitive verb ho·seyed, ho·sey·ing, ho·seys
New England 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.”