[Ads-l] Antedating mullet (hairstyle)

[Shapiro, Fred]

I believe this is a 2013 citation, not a 1973 citation.

Fred Shapiro



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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Peter Morris [peter_morris_1 at BLUEYONDER.CO.UK]
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 9:30 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Antedating  mullet (hairstyle)

OED Appeals

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__public.oed.com_appeals_mullet_&d=AwICAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=sRkhHMQo6W5Ird1lkQFqb23bCfSHAR2XjUSUG53db5M&m=G6kjMuyOAU5RM4QhcyxRTmoZnFLZQN7b3ZwlxEZgo4M&s=-0mzxxGPStj9U73nrLWJ_kp6KiV86OL7o32BBtlPYRY&e=

<< The OED defines mullet as 'A hairstyle, worn esp. by men, in which the
hair is cut short at the front and sides, and left long at the back.' It was
certainly popularized, if not coined, by the hip-hop group the Beastie Boys,
whose song 'Mullet Head' [ from 1994] is the first known use of the term:
(snip)
Can you help find an earlier example of mullet? Or any proof that it truly
was coined by the Beasties? >>


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Comments say that they heard the term in 1970's, but give no written cite.
Well, here's one.


>From the novel Cinderella Liberty by  Darryl Ponicsan, 1973, chapter 2

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__tinyurl.com_qadm8z8&d=AwICAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=sRkhHMQo6W5Ird1lkQFqb23bCfSHAR2XjUSUG53db5M&m=G6kjMuyOAU5RM4QhcyxRTmoZnFLZQN7b3ZwlxEZgo4M&s=s7TjRF8UHaLm91RPfAJAENg_n9afbr_uSpeL4n2Efl8&e=

<<Weekly haircuts, no matter what. So it had been since he'd joined. So it
would be until he retired.

Maybe he'd grow his hairout after that. Probably wouldn't go with the mullet
that had been so popular when he'd joined, but he'd keep it longer than it
was now.>>

I'm unable to post it at the OED site. You have to log in via facebook,  and
I haven't got an account.  Can someone post it for me, please.

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