Lo-fi 78's v. hi-fi CD's

[Wilson Gray]

To the best of my knowledge, I became fully
cognizant of "fly" as a slang term behind the
"Fly Girls" of _In Living Color_.

But, a couple of days ago, as I was listening to a CD of
'50's oldies by The Spaniels, I heard the verse:

"I met a little girl walking down the street.
She was _fly_ as she could be."

On the original 1955 78, I'd always heard that second
line as:

"She was _fine_ as she could be."

The date fits right in with HDAS's note of a resurgence
of the term during 1954-1960. The Spaniels' home base
was Chicago, from the point of view of St. Louisans, The
City, and we normally got the latest sounds and slang usages
from there. But, thanks to the lo-fi of 78's, we Louietowners
missed out on "fly." Sigh!

-Wilson Gray

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org