[Ads-l] Antedating: swing shift (Sep 25 1896)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The discussion of a Broadway "swing" led me to look into "swing shift"
as a possible precursor. The sense of "irregular shift arrangement"
might be pertinent.

The OED has an entry for "swing shift" with citations beginning in
1943. Below is a citation from a few decades earlier in 1896.

[Begin excerpt from OED]
swing-shift  … U.S. a work shift between the standard day and night
shifts, esp. from the afternoon to late evening; applied to other
irregular shift arrangements.

1943   Sun (Baltimore) 26 Mar. 1/5 (heading)   Swing-shift workers
cross border for 15-cent highballs after California bars close.
[End excerpt from OED]

Date: Sep 25, 1896
Newspaper: The Anaconda Standard
Newspaper Location: Anaconda, Montana
Article: Plan of the Chief
Quote Page 6, Column 3
Database: GenealogyBank

A police chief proposed creating a new shift.

[Begin excerpt]
His idea is to save two men by working two men on a swing shift from
noon till midnight on the Park and Broadway beats and having only one
man on each beat for the rest of the time.
[End excerpt]

Previously, I posted that H. L. Mencken mentioned "swing-girl" in his
1948 supplement of "The American Language".

[Begin excerpt with footnote]
In recent years there has appeared the swing-girl, who, when shows
play seven nights a week, relieves other girls on their nights off. 1
1 Lee Mortimer in the New York Mirror, Feb, 1947.
[End excerpt with footnote]

Bill Mullins found a 1942 citation for "swing girl".

The 1940 citation below presents a particular type of "swing shift"
for substitution on days off. This led me to think there might be a
connection between Mencken’s definition of the "swing girl" and "swing
shift". Both use a sense of substitution.

Date: January 6, 1940
Newspaper: The Cincinnati Enquirer
Newspaper Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Article: Weyler Praises Johnson Plan For Six-Day Work Week; Asks
Business Cooperation (Associated Press)
Quote Page 1, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111635618/swingshift/

[Begin excerpt]
Weyler said many individuals in the state are being worked "hideously
long hours" and that if a "swing shift" were installed so men or women
now unemployed could work one day in every seven in place of employees
now working seven days a week, that alone would mean an appreciable
relief for Kentucky's unemployment problem.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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