antedating (?) of "hep" 1907

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Fri, Sep 05, 2008 at 08:34:47AM -0400, Stephen Goranson wrote:
> OED has 1908 for slang "hep" {and a 1941 "Joe Hep" mention) and 1904
> for "hip."
>
> At the Actor's Boarding House and Other Stories, By Helen Green (NY:
> Brentano's.
> 1907).
>
> p. 31 "I'm hep," said Terence, briefly, feeling in his pocket for the short
> billy which had won him so many scraps over on "the Avenoo."

HDAS cites this example from Green, along with four or more
earlier examples of _hep_ (depending on how you regard the
dating of this and other books).

Jesse Sheidlower
OED

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