Ofay (1920-1924)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

I checked the Baltimore AFRO-AMERICAN for "ofay." The periodical is on Paper 
of Record from 1920, and 1917-1919 is "coming soon." Here's OED's revised 
entry.
     

(OED)
U.S. slang (orig. and chiefly in African-American usage). Chiefly derogatory 
or depreciative.
 [Origin unknown. A large number of etymologies have been suggested (as in 
quots. 1932, 1977), but none are convincing; for summaries see J. E. Lighter 
Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1997) II. s.v., and Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1996) 
III. s.v.]     A. n. A white person. Cf. FAY n.4 
 
  [1898 Freeman (Indianapolis) 8 Oct. 5/1 ‘Ofay’ Brooks sends regards to ‘
Snapper’ Edmonds.] 1899 Freeman (Indianapolis) 2 Sept. 5/5 London Letter... All 
the boys seem to like this side of th [sic] water... ‘Jiw-wauks’ are scarce, 
but ‘O-fays’ are plentiful. 1925 Inter-State Tattler 6 Mar. 8 We hear that ‘
Booker Red’ has three ofays on his staff. 1932 Africa 5 506 The root of the 
word appears to come from the Ibibio Afia, white or light-coloured. Hence in 
Harlem Offay means any light-coloured person and therefore a European. 1956 B. H
OLIDAY Lady sings Blues (1973) v. 52 Most of the ofays, the white people, who 
came to Harlem those nights were looking for atmosphere. 1977 Amer. Speech 1975 
50 89 That this word [sc. Yoruba ofe] could have been brought to the United 
States by slaves is altogether possible... Thus ofay may be taken as a word said 
for self-protection in times of threat, which was then transferred to the 
source of threat, and so came to mean ‘whiteman’. 1992 Folk Roots Sept. 47/3 
Let's not get into any ethno-political-socio-hoo-ha here 'cos it's so boring, 
mainlythis is entertainment: right, ofays?
 
    B. adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a white person; white. 
 
  1911 Adventure Jan. 446, I saw a mardi-gras suit of clothes that might have 
been ‘ofay’ on a negro minstrel. 1927 Amer. Mercury Dec. 392 Ugly people 
there are, certainly, but the percentage of beautiful folk is unquestionably 
larger than among the ofay brethren. 1940 New Republic 7 Oct. 472 When he goes 
downtown to this civil-service office, they take him for ofay. 1956 B. HOLIDAY 
Lady sings Blues (1973) ix. 89 ‘What will people think?’ is a big deal in ofay 
circles. 1971 Black World Apr. 62, I was attendant in the ofay ladies lounge. 
1999 J. ELLROY Tijuana, mon Amour in GQ Mar. 276/2 He teed off on ofay 
oppression and segued to sepia self-hate.
   
  
(WWW.PAPEROFRECORD.COM)
  
15 October 1920, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 9, col. 4:
Mr. Editor, I think it would be a goof ifea to warn our people through your 
publication of this Northern ofay's (so-called white) boast how easily he is 
getting rich off the profits to be made from our people.
  
25 March 1921, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 9, col. 4:
_THEY HAVE THEIR PRICE_
(From the Observer)
A committee of thirty-five has been appointed by the Republican machine to 
decide who shall be nominated for a job which they will try to get for the 
fellow. All the good jobs and sure jobs the Ofay committee kept for themselves and 
what is indefinite and uncertain they are now going to help the colored 
Republicans to get.    
    
20 April 1923, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 15, col. 2:
Truly our Ofay friends are tossed between the horns of a dilemma: to maintain 
white supremacy in the athletic world, they must compete against the farker 
brethren and--get licked, as the above record shows, or else refuse to compete, 
in which case they are no longer white but of that hue which in athletic 
parlance is familiarly known as "yellow."
  
25 January 1924, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 16, col. 2:
He further promulgated that these fellows were fairly good in their way, but 
that he would now intriduce to the audience a leader elected by a convention 
sitting in New York, which represented all of the Negroes on the face of the 
earth, and not approved or endorsed by the "Ofays."
  
28 March 1924, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 2, col. 2:
>From a source, that we believe to be reliable, we learn that a lot of the 
young men employed on the Columbia burleque shows have succumbed to the 
blandishments of the "ofay" choristers, and have lost their jobs in consequence.
  
1 August 1924, THE AFRO AMERICAN, pg. 9, col. 4:
This is just to let the Colored Help in the Post Office know that their white 
brothers in toil are receiving big batches of tickets for the annual games in 
which the Post Office Employees take part, that is the O'Fays.