Antedating of "Bangs"

[David Bowie]

From:    Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>

> bang (OED, n.2, 1878)

> 1877 _Chicago Daily Tribune_ 7 Jan. 9 (ProQuest)  Paris ladies are banging
> their front hair after the old English bar-maid style.  False bangs can be
> purchased.

> NOTE:  This also appears to antedate OED _bang_, v.2 (1882).

I *so* double-took (double-taked?) this one--the non-sexual meaning of
"bangs" is my primary one, but "banging" (unless the object is a drum,
of course) is utterly and absolutely sexual for me.

Speaking of which--back in the late 80s, i heard a radio-type person say
that the 80s group the Bangles was originally called the Bangs,[1] but
they had to change their name because of a New Jersey (IIRC) group that
already had that name. The DJ seemed greatly amused that the Bangles had
originally named themselves after hair--but since even back then i knew
the British meaning of the term, i had my own theory as to what they
were originally named after...

[1] It was originally--before the Bangs--actually the Supersonic Bangs,
which is even better.

--
David Bowie                                         http://pmpkn.net/lx
     Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
     house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
     chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.

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