Skort

James A. Landau JJJRLandau at AOL.COM
Fri Jul 5 13:25:26 UTC 2002


In a message dated 07/04/2002 10:25:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Bapopik at AOL.COM writes:

>    Another hot-seller for female mountain bikers is the flattering "skort,"
>  which combines stretchy cycling shorts with a wraparound skirt.
>
>     There are many hits for "skort," but I did not see it in trademark
>  records.  Google has it from 1992, with indicatings that it was used in
>  cycling in the 1960s.
>     It's not in OED.

I can give a citation from 1957-58.  I was in the 5th grade that year, and
there was some children's newspaper or magazine that we read regularly in
class (My Weekly Reader?).  The magazine had an article on new words.  I
distinctly remember two  such new words in that article: "moonlighting" and
"skort".

The article also suggested that you put it away for five years and when you
take it back out, see how many of these new words are still in use.  Well, I
did just that.  In the tenth grade, miraculously, I was still able to locate
the article, which I gave to my tenth-grade English teacher, who kept it, but
maybe somebody can locate it.


        - James A Landau
          then of Gideon Shryock Elementary School


P.S.  What is the proper term for a cheerleader's skirt?  It has integral
color-coordinated panties, so that the cheerleader can do cartwheels
"safely", but I've never heard anyone refer to a "cheerleader's skort".



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