Further Antedating of "Plugola"

[Laurence Horn]

I'm assuming "plugola" in these cites involves a blend of "plug" + "payola", referring to the eponymous practice featured in the scandal, investigation, etc., in the 1950s but which was around longer, and which itself was no doubt a blend of "pay" + "[Victr]ola".

LH


On May 23, 2014, at 6:35 PM, Shapiro, Fred wrote:

> Here's a further antedating of "plugola":
>
> 1954 _Variety_ 15 Dec. 42 (Entertainment Industy Magazine Archive)  In a complex presentation, Hooper describes his tv plugola reports as covering nine points in all.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Hugo [hugovk at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2014 3:14 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Antedating of "plugola"
>
> Today's OED Online Word of the Day is "plugola", first quoted 1959.
>
> Here's a January 07, 1957 antedating from Time magazine, page 67,
> "Television: The Biggest Giveaway":
>
> [Begin]
> One of the chiggers beneath the skins of network bigwigs and Madison
> Avenue operatives is the custom of the free plug, or "plugola." A TV
> comic, disk jockey or M.C. slips a brand name into his patter, e.g.,
> "They said I was drunk, but it was all relative—Old Grand-Dad," and he
> or his gagwriter can count on the "payola"—a case or two of whisky in
> the next delivery. Offenses have occurred most persistently on the Bob
> Hope, Jack Benny, Arthur Godfrey, Steve Allen and Robert Q. Lewis
> shows; yet the networks fear...
> [End]
>
> Preview from:
> http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808945,00.html
>
> The snippet on Google Books also shows the date: "TIME, JANUARY 7, 1957".
> http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zhgHAQAAIAAJ&q=plugola&dq=plugola&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UErOUr31A8ap4gTr-IDIDw&redir_esc=y
>
> ---
>
> An earlier sense appears as a product to plug holes in bicycle tyre punctures.
>
> 1899: "Bicycle Sundries. ... Eclipse Plugola ................ 9c."
> http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1899-10-11/ed-1/seq-8/#index=0&rows=20&sequence=0&words=Plugola&andtext=plugola&page=1
>
> 1902 snippet: "... Magnet Plugola for small tire punctures..."
> http://books.google.com/books?id=wZM7AQAAMAAJ&q=plugola&dq=plugola&hl=en&sa=X&ei=UErOUr31A8ap4gTr-IDIDw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA
>
> ---
>
> Hugo
>
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