[Ads-l] Bizarro, Bizarro World

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here are two pertinent entries constructed by the world's top expert
on American slang.

Title: Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang,
Author: Jonathan E. Lighter
Volume 1: A-G
Quote Page 174
(Check for typos)

[Begin excerpt]
bizarro n. [partially sugg. by the character Bizzaro, introduced in
Superman comics in 1957-58] a bizarre person.

1980 W. Sherman Times Sq. 13: Joe thought about arresting the bizarro.

1985 Univ. Tenn. prof., age ca32: These people are real bizarros.
[End excerpt]

[Begin excerpt]
bizarro adj. bizarre; (also) crazy.

1971 Current Slang 5: Go bizarro...To lose one's composure; to be driven insane.

1973 in L. Bangs Psychotic Reactions 122: The bizarre lushed-up Irish
scrubwoman Kitty McShane.

1979 New West (Sept. 24) 88: His more recent drug-laden, bizarro epistolaries.

1982 Sculatti Catalog of Cool 49: Bizarro TV yarn starts with acid flashback.

1986 E. Weiner Howard the Duck 47: Whatever bizarro drug someone had
slipped her.
[End excerpt]

Garson


On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 11:55 AM, Mark Peters
<markpeterswriter at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Mark Peters <markpeterswriter at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Bizarro, Bizarro World
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Is anyone aware of *bizarro *(as in the supervillain and the Bizarro Jerry
> from *Seinfeld*) being listed in any dictionaries? I'm working on an
> article on this fun word.
>
> Appreciate any suggestions!
>
> Mark
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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