Spanish Origin of Miniskirt?

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Determining or estimating proper dates for volumes in the Google Books
database can be difficult. The GB metadata is not reliable as you and
many others know. Here are some suggestions.

The first match listed has the following description:

http://books.google.com/books?id=QnAUAQAAMAAJ&

[Begin excerpt]
Focus, Volumes 31-39
Bausch & Lomb Optical Company., 1960
[End excerpt]

The volume range suggests that multiple years may be contained within
a single volume. It is often helpful to search inside the book for
different years, months, seasons, etcetera. If you search inside this
volume for “1968” there are three matches. One snippet is revealing:

[Begin excerpt]
VOL. 39, NO. 1
SPRING 1968
[End excerpt]

So the volume contains material from 1968. It also seems to have
material from the early 1960s. The context given by the snippet
suggests the term “miniskirt” was being used to refer to an anatomical
feature of a non-human organism.

[Begin excerpt]
Figures 6 and 7. Liriope. These seem the
most numerous in my samples. Fig. 6 gives
you a peek under the miniskirt, showing the
manubrium and gonads. Fig. 7 shows the
miniskirt wrong side out!
[End excerpt]

The metadata for the second book is flawed:

http://books.google.com/books?id=GUuukQEACAAJ&

[Begin excerpt]
Nancy Sinatra: Body of Work
Hal Lifson
National Book Network, Jan 1, 1955
[End excerpt]

The GB page also shows a summary of contents. Here is an excerpt that
indicates the book was actually published in 2002 or later:

[Begin excerpt]
The book contains quotes from dozens of Nancy's celebrity and musician
colleagues, many of whom worked with her on her records from the '60s,
all the way up to the 2002 release of California Girl from Walt Disney
Records.
[End excerpt]

You can search using the GB metadata in Worldcat, Amazon, and Google
to try to identify the book. The book does not seem to be listed in
Worldcat. Alibris has a webpage showing the cover image of a book of
photographs called "Nancy Sinatra: Body of Work" by Hal Lifson. The
description says the book has material from 2002.

Garson

On Sun, Jul 13, 2014 at 3:38 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Spanish Origin of Miniskirt?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I can't confirm the date, but the following link claims "miniskirt" from =
> 1960:
>
> =
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3DQnAUAQAAMAAJ&q=3D%22miniskirt%22&dq=3D%=
> 22miniskirt%22&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ei=3DdtzCU4aUEpGHogSB8YCICA&ved=3D0CDEQ6AEwA=
> A
>
> No preview is provided, but the following is claimed to be from 1955 for =
> "mini skirt":
>
> =
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3DGUuukQEACAAJ&dq=3D%22mini+skirt%22&hl=3D=
> es&sa=3DX&ei=3DoN7CU6G2LpDuoASqt4CQDA&ved=3D0CBwQ6AEwAA
>
> I don't know if you saw these, but FWIW.
>
> Also, searching for "minifalda" on Google Books yields a few hits. I =
> don't speak Spanish, but the 1900 and 1933 hits look like  red herrings. =
> The 1951 hit looks relevant:
>
> =
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3DK3COAAAAIAAJ&q=3D%22minifalda%22&dq=3D%=
> 22minifalda%22&hl=3Des&sa=3DX&ei=3DNN_CU4yLJ8_3oAS6nIFI&ved=3D0CCcQ6AEwAg
>
> -----
> SALARIO MINIMO- cubre al obrero lo que la minifalda cubre a la chica =
> nada.
> -----
>
> There is also a 1911 hit for "mini-falda":
> =
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3DZO4qAAAAMAAJ&q=3D%22mini+falda%22&dq=3D=
> %22mini+falda%22&hl=3Des&sa=3DX&ei=3DBuDCU9PGHpH4oASbmoLQAQ&ved=3D0CCcQ6AE=
> wAA
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Formerly of Seattle, WA
>
> Learn Ainu! https://sites.google.com/site/aynuitak1/home
>
>
> On Jul 13, 2014, at 12:16 PM, Baker, John <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header =
> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
>> Subject:      Spanish Origin of Miniskirt?
>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>=20
>> The term "miniskirt" is usually thought to have been invented in =
> London aro=3D
>> und 1965, possibly by Mary Quant, who had a well-known boutique in =
> Chelsea.=3D
>>  However, the OED has an earlier citation, in 1962, to the Billings =
> (Monta=3D
>> na) Gazette.  Billings is not usually considered to be quite so =
> fashion-for=3D
>> ward. =3D20
>>=20
>> I took a look at the article.  It's datelined Mexico City and credited =
> to J=3D
>> ohn Abney, who I understand was a wire service reporter there.  =
> Presumably =3D
>> it just happened that the Billings Gazette was the only newspaper that =
> pick=3D
>> ed up the article and was included in online databases.  The article =
> descri=3D
>> bes the "mini-skirt" or "Ya-Ya" as the latest thing on the production =
> line =3D
>> in Mexico City.  It refers repeatedly to some kind of writing by a =
> prominen=3D
>> t psychiatrist, unnamed, who had argued that the miniskirt was a =
> youthful p=3D
>> rotest of international threats to peace.
>>=20
>> Mexico City is an unexpected source of "miniskirt," but still quite a =
> bit m=3D
>> ore plausible than Billings, Montana.  Might "miniskirt" be a calque =
> of som=3D
>> e Spanish term?  It would be nice if someone who speaks Spanish and =
> has acc=3D
>> ess to the necessary databases could do a search of Mexico City =
> publication=3D
>> s from the period.
>>=20
>>=20
>> John Baker
>>=20
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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