homie (1927, 1929)

[Wilson Gray]

A nearly simultaneous interdating occurs in the 1946 song, The House
of Blue Lights, by two whiggers, Ella Mae Morse from Texas and Freddie
Slack, the composer, from Wisconsin:

Ella Mae Morse:

"What's that, _homey_?"

-Wilson




























































































On Feb 3, 2008 2:02 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: homie (1927, 1929)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1944 "homie" also features prominently in HDAS.  Burley uses it a lot and wrote a regular column for the _Courier_.
>
>   JL
>
> Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
> Subject: homie (1927, 1929)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> OED3 (draft entry June 2001) dates "homie" to 1944, from Dan Burley's
> _Original Handbook of Harlem Jive_. Now that ProQuest Historical
> Newspapers includes black papers, we can take it back much further. In
> the 1927 cite below it appears to be a variant of "homer" (HDAS: "an
> official whose decisions consistently favor the home team", from 1888)
> but the subsequent cites use the familiar "homeboy" sense.
>
> ---
> 1927 _Pittsburgh Courier_ 25 June II5/6 They [sc. baseball umpires]
> have been advised that they must not be "homies," that the visitors
> must be given an even break all the time and that plays must be called
> as they see them. [Doc ID 1113591912]
> ---
> 1929 _Pittsburgh Courier_ 12 Jan. III5/ 3 Pittsburghers love
> basketball -- I believe in my "homies," and if intensely interesting
> tilts are arranged we believe they'll turn out. [Doc ID 1111541042]
> ---
> 1937 _New York Amsterdam News_ 25 Sep. 10/1 Hello homies! And g'bye
> now, students! [Doc ID 1092901632]
> ---
> 1940 _Pittsburgh Courier_ 20 Jan. 18/1 Teddy Wilson's new band has
> made a definite hit with the homies. [Doc ID 1112894762]
> ---
>
>
> --Ben Zimmer
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org