[Ads-l] Antedating of "Butch" (Lesbian)

[Shapiro, Fred]

The new release of OED entries has "butch" meaning a "mannish" lesbian.  As a noun, the first citation is dated 1954, as an adjective it's 1958.  However, last July I contributed the following two earlier citations to the OED:


1947 _Vice Versa_ Nov. 9 (Archives of Sexuality & Gender)  Has it ever occurred to you, my sisters, that the names by which we call ourselves lack dignity?  I refer to "butch" and "fluff" and such.  They are such slangish words, yet we have no better.

1947 _Vice Versa_ Nov. 19 (Archives of Sexuality & Gender)


"Boy meets girl meets heart"

I don't consider smart.

"Butch meets fluff -- that's luff!"

Is my idea of hot stuff!



Fred Shapiro





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