"Stop digging."

[Garson O'Toole]

Jonathan Lighter wrote
> While "making a splash" is always good, in my experience "making waves"
> always suggests trouble or at least annoyance for somebody somewhere.
>
> Or it used to.  It is possible that many younger speakers now interpret both
> phrases as positive.

In 1967 an article that consists of a series of short statements about
forthcoming books says that one volume will "make waves". This is a
positive assessment I believe.

Cite: 1967 June 25, Los Angeles Times, "O'Hara Novel Due Nov. 23" by
Gene Shalit, Page C32, Los Angeles, California. (ProQuest)

Doubleday will make waves with "The Admiral," Martin Dibner's novel
about Midway (October)

Here is another example in 1967 of "making waves" presented
positively, or at least non-negatively.

Cite: 1967 December 30, New York Amsterdam News, PS by Cathy W.
Aldridge, Page 7, New York. (ProQuest)

If social histories are written at all – Christmas 1967 will make
waves as the Pretty Party 'season in these parts - Aster and Fred
Schjang gave one to inaugurate their new West Side co-op where
songwriter BENNY BENJAMIN treated the close friends who gathered to an
exceptionally rare "concert" - playing a guitar and singing his
million dollar songs

In the following example "making waves" is depicted as something
positive from the point of view of the wave maker, Castro. He and his
supporters selected the Spanish acronym/name "OLAS" for a conference.
However, opponents of Castro would view this type of "wave making"
negatively. This corresponds to Jon's notion of "trouble or at least
annoyance for somebody somewhere".

Cite: 1967 July 31, Los Angeles Times,  Reds Open Parley in Cuba Today
to Promote Revolution by Ruben Salazar, Page 1, Los Angeles,
California. (ProQuest)

HAVANA—Having celebrated the 14th anniversary of Fidel Castro's July
26 Revolution, Cuba will launch a nine-day Communist conference today
which it hopes will make waves throughout Latin America.

The meeting of the Latin American Solidarity Organization (OLAS, which
spells "waves" in Spanish) is Castro's public vehicle for promoting
revolution in this hemisphere.

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