square from Delaware (1939)

[Baker, John]

        I think the following passages from On Strivers Row, a play by
Abram Hill, imply unhipness.  The following is from page 417 of the text
reprinted in The Roots of African American Drama: An Anthology of Early
Plays, 1858-1938 (1991) (Google Books,
http://books.google.com/books?id=HPPAkUbPH8AC).  On Strivers Row was
written in 1938 but may have been revised later, particularly in
connection with the 1939 and 1940 productions.  The speaker, Joe, is a
Harlem hipster, apparently hired by a rival to sabotage a social event
mounted by an upwardly mobile African-American family.  This seems to
put the origin of "square" in African-American slang, to the surprise of
absolutely no one.


        CHUCK:  Food is served on the floor below.

        JOE: (_stopping the strutting_) I ain't no square from Delaware,
nor bloke from Idaho.  Grab that platter.  Take some air.  Who's gwine
eat on any flooh?

        . . . .

        JOE: (_getting close to_ LILY) Them big black eyebrows.  Them
long lashes.  They flop a breeze that causes me to squeeze.  A fine
feeling shakes my frame.  Gosh, ain't this a shame!

        LILY: (_crossing_) Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha--

        JOE: (_right on_ LILY)  Getcha!  Hoi!  Hoi!  There's plenty
squares who can slave.  But a hard-cuttin' lover is in the rave.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Benjamin Zimmer
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 4:54 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: square from Delaware (1939)


So do we have anything earlier for "square" = 'unhip person (from
Delaware or elsewhere)'? The 1939 Amst News cite doesn't imply
unhipness, but the 1940 one certainly does.


--Ben Zimmer

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