shindig

[Joanne M. Despres]

The citation backing our 1842 date comes from The New York
Daily Express, May 10, 1842.  For some strange reason the
citation slip reports this quotation as having come from Mr.
Barnhart and Mr. Metcalf's _America in So Many Words_, where
the term is indeed treated, but, as far as I can see, this particular
citation is not given.

I'm sure that the quotation did in fact come from Mr. Popik, and will
make sure that he gets the proper credit.

By the way, wasn't there another 1960s rock and roll show called
"Hullabaloo?"  Course, I was just a kid then.  Maybe I was
confusing something else with Desi Arnaz' "Babalu."

Joanne Despres
Merriam-Webster

On 8 Mar 2005, at 1:39, Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 3/8/2005 1:30:04 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU writes:
>
> MW11  dates it to 1842.
>
> --Ben Zimmer
>
>
> Probably from me. See the old ADS-L archives. (Sigh.)
> ...
> Barry Popik