[Ads-l] 'la-di-da' antedate (OED c1883); 'la-di-da-di' 1879

Wed Dec 7 02:32:42 UTC 2022

James and Peter: Great citations for a difficult term with many spellings.
The OED has the verb form of "la-di-da" with a first citation dated 1901.
Here is the verb form in a song title in 1868:  "TO LA-DE-DA-DA WITH
THE LADIES."

Date: December 28, 1868
Newspaper: The Liverpool Albion
Newspaper Location: Lancashire, England
Article: (Advertisement for Prince of Wales Theatre)
Quote Page 1, Column 2
Database: British Newspaper Archive

[Begin excerpt]
PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE.
Enormous Success of the Great PANTOMIME SHADOW SCENE.

"UP IN A BALLOON," Encored Nightly. Sung by Messrs. Arnott, Wyke
Moore, Cahill; Misses Johnstone, Leicester, White, Anstiss, Lizzie
Willmore.

THE LORD MAYOR'S PRIZE DONKEY AND STATE CARRIAGE exhibited Every
Evening at THE PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE.

"TO LA-DE-DA-DA WITH THE LADIES." Encored Nightly. Sung by Messrs.
Amott, Basil Rivers, Wyke Moore, Cahill; Misses Johnstone, Leicester,
White, Anstiss. Lizzie Wilmore.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:55 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> 1875 in New Zealand,  "a swell of the Lah-de-dah type."
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114217673/the-daily-southern-cross/
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of James Eric Lawson <jel at NVENTURE.COM>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 2:39:04 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: 'la-di-da' antedate (OED c1883); 'la-di-da-di' 1879
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       James Eric Lawson <jel at NVENTURE.COM>
> Subject:      'la-di-da' antedate (OED c1883); 'la-di-da-di' 1879
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1880  _Daily News_ (London, England) LA-DI-DA! or, the CITY TOFF. 11 May 8/7
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114204584/la-di-da/
>
> 1879  _Liverpool Echo_ A "LA-DI-DA-DI" JOKE DURING THE FOG. 13 Dec 1879 4/1
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114204298/la-di-da-di/
>
> --
> James Eric Lawson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org