A new word?

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

OED has 1966 for "kung fu"

"Chinese Uses Ancient Cantonese System of Paralyzing Holds on Americans,
Wins 89 of 96 Matches"
by Jack Cuddy (UP)
Nevada | Reno | Nevada State Journal | 1932-05-14 p. 6 col 7.

"Concerning the art of kung fu, Wong Bock said it was the most
formidable system of weaponless hand-to-hand combat the world has known.
"


OED has 1955 for karate

"Barefoot, Barehand Japs Learn Karate" By Duane Hennessy
The Washington Post (1877-1954); Mar 16, 1947; pg. M11
"It's a combination of boxing, wrestling and kicking called karate."

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:21 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: A new word?
>

>
>   Whippersnappers will be fascinated to know that before the
> ABC-TV series of 1972-75, few Americans other than
> specialists had ever heard of "kung fu."
>
>

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