square from Delaware (1939)

[sagehen]

>>>> On Wed, Sep 03, 2008 at 03:57:30PM -0400, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>>>>> ---
>>>>> 1939 _New York Amsterdam News_ [Dan Burley's "Backdoor Stuff"] 27 May
>>>>> 20/1 "Lawd! I'm a square from Delaware, a Lane from Spokane, a killer
>>>>> from Manila and a Home from Rome," Allen Drew beats out.
~~~~~~~~~
I don't think I had ever heard the "Spo kann"  pronunciation of Spokane
before actually moving to the state of Washington in 1947.  I'd guess that
the mispronunciation was far more widespread than the, um, "correct" one, at
mid-century.
AM

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