song-plugger (1907), song-plugging (1916)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

* song-plugger (OED2 1923)

1907 _Washington Post_ 14 Jul. (Magazine) 2/6 But vaudeville people with
any desire to keep up in the first rank must avoid the reputation that
comes to 'song pluggers.'

* song-plugging (OED2 1927)

1916 _Fitchburg Daily Sentinel_ (Mass.) 7 Oct. 3[?]/3 Song plugging was
given a new exemplification in this city Friday night.

1917 _Oakland Tribune_ 17 Sep. 5/2 However, he doesn't appeal to his
audiences as much with the cycles any more, relying rather upon ... a
song-plugging pair, who do their work real well.

1918 _Chicago Tribune_ 27 Jan. V4/2 That is the highest and least tainted
manifestation of that little known, unsung institution called "song
plugging."



--Ben Zimmer