verbs - Information about "lookit"


This week, I've heard "lookit" twice on TV. I heard Jerry Seinfeld say it on Seinfeld, and I heard Joe Gilgun say it on Preacher. And in closed captioning, it was written that way both times, as all one word: "lookit."


The first time struck me because I guess I quit saying "lookit" when I was a kid. It just seems like something kids say, not adults. But the second time I heard it, it really struck me because Joe Gilgun is not just an adult but also Irish and plays an Irish character. For whatever reason, I think I thought that "lookit" was an Americanism.


Anyway, I looked on www.dictionary.com and it doesn't even define "lookit," but to me, it sounds like a verb, like you're telling someone to look.


So here's my question: Is "lookit" a defective verb?


Example:



"Lookit!" squealed John, laughing and pointing out the window to direct Hannah's gaze. "That girl by the mailbox just smacked that boy on the steps in the head with that skateboard, hard!"



Later, the character Hannah recounts the event:



"John saw something out the window and told me to lookit, so I did," explained Jane.



So here's my second question: What if Hannah doesn't use the verb "did" at the end to refer back to the verb "lookit" but instead tries to use the verb "lookit" in the past tense, for example:



"John saw something out the window and told me to lookit, so I..."



What???


1. lookedit?


2. lookitted?


3. something else?


4. nothing because 'lookit' is a defective verb that can only be imperative?


5. none of the above?


Please explain and provide some examples.




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