[Ads-l] 'Skort' Is Minnesota Invention, claims 1951 citation

Mon Jan 28 02:22:31 UTC 2019

"skort" was discussed on this list back in 2002 (before my time) and
2018. The OED has an entry with a first citation in 1957. (OED Third
Edition, June 2015).

[Begin condensed OED excerpt]
skort, n.
Origin: Formed within English, by blending. Etymons: skirt n., short n.
Chiefly N. Amer.
  A pair of shorts having a flap across the front to give the
appearance of a skirt; (also) a short skirt having an attached pair of
shorts underneath.

1957   Independent-Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) 16 June a4   If
a lady can't decide between shorts and a skirt.., the answer is a
skort.
[End OED excerpt]

Searching newspapers.com produces a huge number of false positive
matches. So, I stopped searching as soon as I found a genuine match in
1951. The article title contains an interesting claim: 'Skort' Is
Minnesota Invention.

Date: December 30, 1951
Newspaper: Star Tribune
Newspaper Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Section: Women's News & Travel
Article: 'Skort' Is Minnesota Invention
Quote Page 6, Column 5
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27727081/skort/

[Begin excerpt]
Just starting its third year after grossing a million dollars for the
last twelve-month period, the Sharpe Manufacturing Co., Inc., recently
held open house in its new quarters at 42 S. Third street.

At this time the 1952 designs were shown, including the star
attraction, the skort, a short and skirt combination.

Made like a short with a skirt effect on the side, the skort would
make a hit with women whose thighs aren't as slim as they would like
them to be. The short snaps around the waist in back and the skirt
buttons in front.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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