"beatnik"--coined by Herb Caen?

[Fred Shapiro]

On Sat, 26 Jun 2004, Laurence Horn wrote:

> That claim, made tonight on Jeopardy, is supported by various web
> sites (the idea being that the San Francisco Chronicle columnist came
> up with the term in a 1958 column, of course as a blend of "beat
> (generation)" and "sputnik"), but does not appear in the OED entry
> for the word.  The RHHDAS does endorse the Herb Caen coinage, though.
> Are any antedates available, or is this an rare actual instance of a
> verifiable and attested coinage?

Yes, it was a Herb Caen coinage, clearcut.

Fred Shapiro


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