"Jock"

[Fred Shapiro]

yOn Thu, 4 Jan 2001, Tymkovich wrote:

> Does anyone know when the word "jock" first was used to describe a person
> skilled in sports?  Specifically, was it in use in the 1910-1930 era?

No, I don't think so.  I believe that "preppie," "jock" and "wonk" all
originated as part of a tripartite division of Harvard students in the
1950s, perhaps a little earlier.  The earliest citation I have found for
"jock" is from the Harvard Crimson, 21 Feb. 1958; I contributed this to
the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, which printed it
as their first use.

Fred Shapiro


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