[Ads-l] Antedating of Skedaddle (1859)

[Baker, John]

"Skedaddle" became popular with and is strongly associated with the Civil War; the OED says it is "Orig. U.S. military slang, introduced during the Civil War of 1861-5."  The earliest OED example is from 1861, although M-W says it dates from 1860.  Here is an example from the Pittsburgh Daily Post, Dec. 12, 1859 (Newspapers.com), https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4516920/pittsburgh_daily_post/, in which a Hoosier relates a story in which several men at a bar have embarrassed themselves; the story ends with the line, "You'd oughter seen that gang skedaddle."


John Baker

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