hippies

[Jonathan Lighter]

I agree that the "hippie" type publicized by TIME in 1967 marks a semantic shift from the earlier use of the word.  "Hippies" were called "hippies" at first because they were typically young people trying to be "hip."  For people unfamiliar with the earlier nuance (and there were tens of millions), the word was a novelty, as was the subculture. Hence the stereotypical, standard English "hippie."

  JL

"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson"
Subject: Re: hippies
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>An interesting alleged history of the word at the bottom of this page. ....

HDAS shows "hippie" in a jazz context from 1952.

A quick look at N'archive shows "hippie" used freely and routinely in the
mainstream press from 1960 -- although not so frequently as later (ca.
1967). It does not seem to have been always derisive or sarcastic. E.g.:

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June 1960: Earl Wilson's column: <City, ..., completely conquered all the New York hippies. He gave the gals
the jiggles ....>>

Sep. 1960: Earl Wilson's column: <>

March 1961: Dorothy Kilgallen's column: <star who's become a big thing with hippies over here, has been shopping for
a Paris apartment ....>>

May 1961: Fred Danzig's column: <up ... as "The Premise" players, an off-Broadway troupe of hippies, reeled
off some piercing and funny satire.>>

July 1961: Earl Wilson's column: <to talk to hip people -- hipnicks, I call them or hippies.>>

Dec. 1961: Walter Winchell's column: <hotel in the 50s (which shelters reefer-smoking jazzicians): "Hotel in the
Sky">>

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Here "hippie" = "hip person", I think, not always in a jazz context. I
guess I heard this myself around 1962, certainly before the "South Street"
song (1963, I think); there was nothing mysterious or novel to me (or my
peers) about "hippie" in 1963 IIRC, although I guess it didn't yet convey
the later acid-head/hair-freak/beads-and-flowers image.

-- Doug Wilson




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