[Ads-l] tiramisu (1978)

[Baker, John]

In the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, the protagonist, whose wife died of cancer a year and a half earlier, does not know what tiramisu is.  (Script at https://www.scripts.com/script-pdf/740, where it is spelled “tira misu.”)  It’s an indication that someone who hadn’t been to an Italian restaurant for a few years, as the Tom Hanks character had not, might not recognize the term in 1993.


John Baker


From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Ben Zimmer
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2020 2:54 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: tiramisu (1978)

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"Tiramisu" is dated by OED (1997 update) and Merriam-Webster to 1982. Here
it is in 1978, as a dessert item served at Darcy's Restaurant in Sydney,
Australia.

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https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51748739/tiramisu/<https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51748739/tiramisu>
Sydney Morning Herald, Aug. 30, 1978, p. 20, col. 5
Trevor Lane, "Eating Out: The Irish in Paddington"
Aldo [Zuzza]'s brother, Guiseppe, displayed a sweet he discovered in
Venice. He calls it Tiramisu, which translates into lift-me-up: a light
sponge with a special cheese, coffee liqueur, chocolate and cream. It did
much for our eager taste buds.
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--bgz

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