[Ads-l] Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"

Wed Sep 14 20:54:10 UTC 2022

The article from which the 1925 ex. above explicitly (if naively) connects
"bezazz" with "jazz."

JL

On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 4:50 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 1925 _Hanford [Calif.] Daily Sentinel (March 30) 2: Spike ought to get a
> little more bezazz into his baseball stuff.
>
> 1927 _Charlotte Obsever_ (Aug. 23) 24: Atta bazazz, Bill, 'sall ri'.
> Better jine up.
>
> 1928 _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_ (July 24) 15: Mr. [Gene] Tunney has
> changed. Thus the old ba-zazz wasn't up to its usual form.
>
> JL
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 4:07 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> ADS-L post by Gerald Cohen March 17, 2016.
>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-March/141270.html
>>
>> “Barry Popik (writer of the extraordinary website barrypopik.com)
>> recently shared the following
>> information with Ben Zimmer and me, and I now share it with ads-l; the
>> word fits into the pattern of early 20th century humorous words in /z/,
>> e.g., lallapazzazza, Bazzazzaville, "comme il spazaza"
>> (= humorous alteration of French "comme il faut," i.e., properly), and
>> (noticed by Ben Zimmer) 1910 "razapazaz".
>>
>> [From Barry Popik]:
>> PAZAZA--While updating "City That Never Sleeps," I noticed "Pazaza" in
>> the San Francisco Call in 1908. Seems to be an influence on "pizzazz" and
>> probably "jazz" Do we have this?
>>
>> Gerald Cohen”
>>
>> When I first saw that I had already collected a number of possible -zz-
>> word connections, apparently (in my mind) influenced originally from Razzle
>> Dazzle (1885) and extending (I though) through pazaza and jazz.  Razzle
>> Dazzle was said to have originally been stage slang for wowing an
>> audience.  “Razzle” itself can be found in earlier English dialect
>> glossaries, meaning to roast something over a fire.
>>
>> “Razzle Dazzle” became widespread with a variety of possible meanings,
>> but became most popular in a song “razzle dazzle,” sung by a trio in a
>> popular stage play – with “razzle dazzle” referring to how they feel after
>> drinking too much.
>>
>> Gerald and Barry and I shared private e-mail correspondence about the
>> connections at the time, but I never posted anything about it, and I don’t
>> know whether anyone else pursued it further after that.  If I recall,
>> Gerald Cohen said in one of those e-mails that he would be “hesitant to
>> push the ‘jazz’ connection too strongly” at the time.
>>
>>
>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows
>>
>> From: Shapiro, Fred<mailto:fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 12:11 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> This is an intriguing point by John.  The semantic and phonetic
>> similaritie=
>> s between "jazz" and "pizzazz" are striking.  Both were used in phrases
>> suc=
>> h as "the old jazz," "the old pizzazz."  "Jazz" itself seems to have
>> arisen=
>>  as a synonym for "pep" or "ginger" or "vim," etc.
>>
>> Fred Shapiro
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>> Baker,=
>>  John <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
>> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2022 9:41 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> I am struck by the similarities between =1B$B!H=1B(Bpizzazz=1B$B!I=1B(B
>> and=
>>  the early California uses of =1B$B!H=1B(Bjazz,=1B$B!I=1B(B and of course
>> t=
>> here is also a similarity of sound/spelling.  Is there any more to the
>> appa=
>> rent connection?
>>
>>
>> John Baker
>>
>>
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of
>> ADSGar=
>> son O'Toole
>> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2022 8:16 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> External Email - Think Before You Click
>>
>>
>> Great work Fred and Ben.
>> Back in June 2022 there was a thread on this mailing list about the
>> notion that slang terms often appear in the names of racehorses.
>>
>> There was a horse named Fizazz who ran at the Saratoga racetrack in
>> 1934 and 1935. There are many matches for this horse name in
>> newspapers.com. There are matches in 1940, too.
>>
>> Date: August 17, 1934
>> Newspaper: The Boston Globe
>> Newspaper Location: Boston, Massachusetts
>> Article: Tomorrow's Entries
>> News Service: Associated Press
>> Quote Page 21, Column 6
>> Database: Newspapers.com
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> SARATOGA
>> ...
>> SIXTH RACE 5 1/2 furlongs (10); Sun Idol, 115; Dancing Cloud, 115;
>> Star Shadow, 115; Epaulet, 115; Nautch, 115; Over-stimulate, 115;
>> Broken Up, 115; Scatter Brain, 115; Fizzaz, 112; Cubist, 115.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Garson
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 3:52 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com<mailto:
>> bgzim=
>> mer at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Following Fred's lead, I looked for other "pizzazz" variants in the Yale
>> > Daily News archive and found "pizzaz" back to 1935.
>> >
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21>
>> > Yale Daily News, Oct. 4, 1935, p. 4, col. 1
>> > Many an All-American has paled into insignificance on the scales and
>> many=
>>  a
>> > Colossus has lacked what _faute de mieux_ is know[n] by the name of
>> > "pizzaz." Taken as a unit the Yale line is heavy but comparatively
>> green.
>> > The record they compile in the suicide schedule that lies ahead will
>> depe=
>> nd
>> > on just how fast they are able to get across the line, just how much
>> they
>> > can carry the fight to their opponents, in short just how much pizzaz
>> the=
>> y
>> > can muster and keep mustered.
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23>
>> > Yale Daily News, Jan. 22, 1936, p. 4, col. 1
>> > In practice yesterday this line was showing some of the old "pizzaz"
>> that
>> > should carry them into the scoring columns.
>> > ---
>> >
>> > "Pazaz" also appeared in the YDN sports pages in early 1937.
>> >
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27>
>> > Yale Daily News, Jan. 18, 1937, p. 4, col. 3
>> > This year Holc York figured that Clint would have a lot more zip, a
>> littl=
>> e
>> > more pazaz (I think that's the Miltonic word), if he were prevented from
>> > expending all his energy in practice sessions.
>> > ---
>> >
>> > --bgz
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 3:34 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com<mailto:
>> bgz=
>> immer at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > An item in the March 1937 issue of Harper's Bazaar titled "This Thing
>> > > Called Pizazz" (pp. 116-7) appears to have inspired ad copy in the
>> New =
>> York
>> > > Times and elsewhere in late February. (The 2/26/37 NYT ad from The
>> Tail=
>> ored
>> > > Woman and a 2/28/37 ad in the New York Herald Tribune from Bonwit
>> Telle=
>> r
>> > > both credit HB for "pizazz.") It's fair to assume the March issue was
>> > > circulating by the end of February, as is typical in fashion magazine
>> > > publishing. Vogue's famous "September issue," for instance, hits
>> > > newsstands in mid-August.
>> > >
>> > > I see the OED2 "pizzazz" entry used the HB item for its first cite:
>> > >
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww=
>> .oed.com%2Foed2%2F00180470&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C6=
>>
>> 1f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%=
>>
>> 7C637985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2=
>>
>> luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DLcU5jMzRjZ=
>> NR4gZs4CUVgBI1mjmrZ5mHMri0J27UbU0%3D&reserved=3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelin=
>>
>> ks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2Foed2%2F0018047=
>>
>> 0&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94=
>> <http://ks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2Foed2%2F0018047=0&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94=>
>>
>> c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUn=
>>
>> known%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJ=
>>
>> XVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DLcU5jMzRjZNR4gZs4CUVgBI1mjmrZ5mHMri=
>> 0J27UbU0%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > > 1937 Harper's Bazaar Mar. 116/2 Pizazz, to quote the editor of the
>> Harv=
>> ard
>> > > Lampoon, is an indefinable dynamic quality, the je ne sais quoi of
>> > > function; as for instance, adding Scotch puts pizazz into a drink.
>> Cert=
>> ain
>> > > clothes have it, too.=1B$B!E=1B(B There's pizazz in this rust evening
>> c=
>> oat.
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> > > In the OED3 entry, this cite has been removed and replaced with the
>> > > 2/26/37 NYT ad, which Fred first shared here in 2010:
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flis=
>> tserv.linguistlist.org
>> %2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-September%2F102735.html&a=
>> mp;data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c49=
>>
>> 51c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUnkno=
>>
>> wn%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVC=
>>
>> I6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DWi1sBHN%2BYfrZd1sIlHoREz0eZUqWm9oyKa8V=
>> yyGioaY%3D&reserved=3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/=
>>
>> ?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flistserv.linguistlist.org%2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-S=
>>
>> eptember%2F102735.html&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0f=
>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/=?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flistserv.linguistlist.org%2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-S=eptember%2F102735.html&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0f=>
>>
>> fefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C63=
>>
>> 7985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMz=
>>
>> IiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DWi1sBHN%2BYfrZ=
>> d1sIlHoREz0eZUqWm9oyKa8VyyGioaY%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > >
>> > > Given that the NYT ad uses the same heading as the Mar. '37 HB item
>> ("T=
>> his
>> > > Thing Called Pizazz"), it would make sense to credit HB as the earlier
>> > > cite, on the assumption that the actual publication date preceded the
>> c=
>> over
>> > > date. But this is somewhat of a moot point now that Fred has located
>> th=
>> e
>> > > 2/23/37 YDN cite that doesn't rely on Harper's Bazaar at all,
>> suggestin=
>> g it
>> > > was already Ivy League slang. A search of the Harvard Lampoon archive
>> m=
>> ay
>> > > still trump the Yalies, however.
>> > >
>> > > As we've discussed in the past, "pizzazz" had a number of earlier
>> > > variants. One of these is "pazzazza" (or "pazazza"), which appears in
>> t=
>> he
>> > > databases with various slang meanings going back to c1902. (There was
>> a
>> > > musical recording called "The Pazzazza Promenade" in 1910.) This
>> exampl=
>> e
>> > > from 1932 indicates that "pazzazza" could be used with the same
>> "peppy"
>> > > meaning later associated with "pizzazz."
>> > >
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww=
>> .newspapers.com
>> %2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza%2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.=
>> shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b41=
>>
>> 14e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoi=
>>
>> MC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&=
>>
>> amp;sdata=3DWGLLyn6EGDqSX5qF8Gg7ZqSGrDClKyo37ddv8GD2K7w%3D&reserved=3D0=
>> <
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ne=
>>
>> wspapers.com%2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapir=
>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ne=wspapers.com%2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapir=>
>> o%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e8=
>>
>> 7abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLj=
>>
>> AwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sd=
>> ata=3D%2BtncaVx3AOETGPDVJQCQNmX99TCrB4weaKy%2BWMuCQwk%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > > Evening News (Harrisburg, Pa.), Oct. 26, 1932, p. 10, col. 2
>> > > "The Once Over" by H.I. Phillips [NY Sun column syndicated by
>> Associate=
>> d
>> > > Newspapers]
>> > > The presidential campaign is boring people. It lacks hot-cha. ... The
>> > > campaign has had no pace, no pep, no pazzazza.
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> > > Perhaps worth a bracketed cite in the OED entry.
>> > >
>> > > --bgz
>> > >
>> > > On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 9:36 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu
>> <ma=
>> ilto:fred.shapiro at yale.edu>>
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> The origins of the word "pizzazz" are a bit mysterious. The OED's
>> firs=
>> t
>> > >> citation is from the New York Times, Feb. 26, 1937, and the Times
>> > >> attributed the term to the Harvard Lampoon and Harper's Bazaar. But
>> no=
>>  one
>> > >> has found prior citations in the Lampoon or HB.
>> > >>
>> > >> A slightly earlier citation points to a different Ivy League school:
>> > >>
>> > >> 1937 _Yale Daily News_ 23 Feb. 4/3 (Yale Daily News Historical
>> Archive=
>> )
>> > >> That the Blues were potentially better skaters cannot be doubted, but
>> > >> somehow they lacked the old pizzazz down on the Arena ice last night.
>> > >>
>> > >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society -
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>> .com/?url=3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org
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>> ed.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8=
>>
>> b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWI=
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>>
>> 7C&sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4FnanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserve=
>> d=3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fww=
>> w.americandialect.org%2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f=
>>
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>> nanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=3D0>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society -
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>>
>> 114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjo=
>>
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>>
>> &sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4FnanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=
>> =3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww=
>> .americandialect.org%2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
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>>
>> ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C6=
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>>
>> zIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4Fn=
>> anKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=3D0>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society -
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.c=
>> om/?url=3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.americandialect.org
>> %2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred=
>> .shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4=
>>
>> 114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjo=
>>
>> iMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C=
>>
>> &sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4FnanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=
>> =3D0
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>> Baker,=
>>  John <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
>> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2022 9:41 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> I am struck by the similarities between =1B$B!H=1B(Bpizzazz=1B$B!I=1B(B
>> and=
>>  the early California uses of =1B$B!H=1B(Bjazz,=1B$B!I=1B(B and of course
>> t=
>> here is also a similarity of sound/spelling.  Is there any more to the
>> appa=
>> rent connection?
>>
>>
>> John Baker
>>
>>
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of
>> ADSGar=
>> son O'Toole
>> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2022 8:16 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Slight Antedating of "PIzzazz"
>>
>> External Email - Think Before You Click
>>
>>
>> Great work Fred and Ben.
>> Back in June 2022 there was a thread on this mailing list about the
>> notion that slang terms often appear in the names of racehorses.
>>
>> There was a horse named Fizazz who ran at the Saratoga racetrack in
>> 1934 and 1935. There are many matches for this horse name in
>> newspapers.com. There are matches in 1940, too.
>>
>> Date: August 17, 1934
>> Newspaper: The Boston Globe
>> Newspaper Location: Boston, Massachusetts
>> Article: Tomorrow's Entries
>> News Service: Associated Press
>> Quote Page 21, Column 6
>> Database: Newspapers.com
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> SARATOGA
>> ...
>> SIXTH RACE 5 1/2 furlongs (10); Sun Idol, 115; Dancing Cloud, 115;
>> Star Shadow, 115; Epaulet, 115; Nautch, 115; Over-stimulate, 115;
>> Broken Up, 115; Scatter Brain, 115; Fizzaz, 112; Cubist, 115.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Garson
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 3:52 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com<mailto:
>> bgzim=
>> mer at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> >
>> > Following Fred's lead, I looked for other "pizzazz" variants in the Yale
>> > Daily News archive and found "pizzaz" back to 1935.
>> >
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19351004-01.2.21>
>> > Yale Daily News, Oct. 4, 1935, p. 4, col. 1
>> > Many an All-American has paled into insignificance on the scales and
>> many=
>>  a
>> > Colossus has lacked what _faute de mieux_ is know[n] by the name of
>> > "pizzaz." Taken as a unit the Yale line is heavy but comparatively
>> green.
>> > The record they compile in the suicide schedule that lies ahead will
>> depe=
>> nd
>> > on just how fast they are able to get across the line, just how much
>> they
>> > can carry the fight to their opponents, in short just how much pizzaz
>> the=
>> y
>> > can muster and keep mustered.
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19360122-01.2.23>
>> > Yale Daily News, Jan. 22, 1936, p. 4, col. 1
>> > In practice yesterday this line was showing some of the old "pizzaz"
>> that
>> > should carry them into the scoring columns.
>> > ---
>> >
>> > "Pazaz" also appeared in the YDN sports pages in early 1937.
>> >
>> > ---
>> > https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27
>> <htt=<
>> https://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27%3chtt=
>> >
>> ps://ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu/?a=3Dd&d=3DYDN19370118-01.2.27>
>> > Yale Daily News, Jan. 18, 1937, p. 4, col. 3
>> > This year Holc York figured that Clint would have a lot more zip, a
>> littl=
>> e
>> > more pazaz (I think that's the Miltonic word), if he were prevented from
>> > expending all his energy in practice sessions.
>> > ---
>> >
>> > --bgz
>> >
>> >
>> > On Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 3:34 AM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com<mailto:
>> bgz=
>> immer at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > An item in the March 1937 issue of Harper's Bazaar titled "This Thing
>> > > Called Pizazz" (pp. 116-7) appears to have inspired ad copy in the
>> New =
>> York
>> > > Times and elsewhere in late February. (The 2/26/37 NYT ad from The
>> Tail=
>> ored
>> > > Woman and a 2/28/37 ad in the New York Herald Tribune from Bonwit
>> Telle=
>> r
>> > > both credit HB for "pizazz.") It's fair to assume the March issue was
>> > > circulating by the end of February, as is typical in fashion magazine
>> > > publishing. Vogue's famous "September issue," for instance, hits
>> > > newsstands in mid-August.
>> > >
>> > > I see the OED2 "pizzazz" entry used the HB item for its first cite:
>> > >
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww=
>> .oed.com%2Foed2%2F00180470&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C6=
>>
>> 1f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%=
>>
>> 7C637985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2=
>>
>> luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DLcU5jMzRjZ=
>> NR4gZs4CUVgBI1mjmrZ5mHMri0J27UbU0%3D&reserved=3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelin=
>>
>> ks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2Foed2%2F0018047=
>>
>> 0&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94=
>> <http://ks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2Foed2%2F0018047=0&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94=>
>>
>> c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUn=
>>
>> known%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJ=
>>
>> XVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DLcU5jMzRjZNR4gZs4CUVgBI1mjmrZ5mHMri=
>> 0J27UbU0%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > > 1937 Harper's Bazaar Mar. 116/2 Pizazz, to quote the editor of the
>> Harv=
>> ard
>> > > Lampoon, is an indefinable dynamic quality, the je ne sais quoi of
>> > > function; as for instance, adding Scotch puts pizazz into a drink.
>> Cert=
>> ain
>> > > clothes have it, too.=1B$B!E=1B(B There's pizazz in this rust evening
>> c=
>> oat.
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> > > In the OED3 entry, this cite has been removed and replaced with the
>> > > 2/26/37 NYT ad, which Fred first shared here in 2010:
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flis=
>> tserv.linguistlist.org
>> %2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-September%2F102735.html&a=
>> mp;data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c49=
>>
>> 51c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUnkno=
>>
>> wn%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVC=
>>
>> I6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DWi1sBHN%2BYfrZd1sIlHoREz0eZUqWm9oyKa8V=
>> yyGioaY%3D&reserved=3D0<
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/=
>>
>> ?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flistserv.linguistlist.org%2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-S=
>>
>> eptember%2F102735.html&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0f=
>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/=?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Flistserv.linguistlist.org%2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2010-S=eptember%2F102735.html&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7C61f0f=>
>>
>> fefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C63=
>>
>> 7985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMz=
>>
>> IiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DWi1sBHN%2BYfrZ=
>> d1sIlHoREz0eZUqWm9oyKa8VyyGioaY%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > >
>> > > Given that the NYT ad uses the same heading as the Mar. '37 HB item
>> ("T=
>> his
>> > > Thing Called Pizazz"), it would make sense to credit HB as the earlier
>> > > cite, on the assumption that the actual publication date preceded the
>> c=
>> over
>> > > date. But this is somewhat of a moot point now that Fred has located
>> th=
>> e
>> > > 2/23/37 YDN cite that doesn't rely on Harper's Bazaar at all,
>> suggestin=
>> g it
>> > > was already Ivy League slang. A search of the Harvard Lampoon archive
>> m=
>> ay
>> > > still trump the Yalies, however.
>> > >
>> > > As we've discussed in the past, "pizzazz" had a number of earlier
>> > > variants. One of these is "pazzazza" (or "pazazza"), which appears in
>> t=
>> he
>> > > databases with various slang meanings going back to c1902. (There was
>> a
>> > > musical recording called "The Pazzazza Promenade" in 1910.) This
>> exampl=
>> e
>> > > from 1932 indicates that "pazzazza" could be used with the same
>> "peppy"
>> > > meaning later associated with "pizzazz."
>> > >
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww=
>> .newspapers.com
>> %2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza%2F&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.=
>> shapiro%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b41=
>>
>> 14e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291737725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoi=
>>
>> MC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&=
>>
>> amp;sdata=3DWGLLyn6EGDqSX5qF8Gg7ZqSGrDClKyo37ddv8GD2K7w%3D&reserved=3D0=
>> <
>> https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ne=
>>
>> wspapers.com%2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapir=
>> <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.ne=wspapers.com%2Fclip%2F109405124%2Fpazzazza&data=3D05%7C01%7Cfred.shapir=>
>> o%40YALE.EDU
>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e8=
>>
>> 7abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLj=
>>
>> AwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sd=
>> ata=3D%2BtncaVx3AOETGPDVJQCQNmX99TCrB4weaKy%2BWMuCQwk%3D&reserved=3D0>
>> > > Evening News (Harrisburg, Pa.), Oct. 26, 1932, p. 10, col. 2
>> > > "The Once Over" by H.I. Phillips [NY Sun column syndicated by
>> Associate=
>> d
>> > > Newspapers]
>> > > The presidential campaign is boring people. It lacks hot-cha. ... The
>> > > campaign has had no pace, no pep, no pazzazza.
>> > > ---
>> > >
>> > > Perhaps worth a bracketed cite in the OED entry.
>> > >
>> > > --bgz
>> > >
>> > > On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 9:36 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu
>> <ma=
>> ilto:fred.shapiro at yale.edu>>
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > >> The origins of the word "pizzazz" are a bit mysterious. The OED's
>> firs=
>> t
>> > >> citation is from the New York Times, Feb. 26, 1937, and the Times
>> > >> attributed the term to the Harvard Lampoon and Harper's Bazaar. But
>> no=
>>  one
>> > >> has found prior citations in the Lampoon or HB.
>> > >>
>> > >> A slightly earlier citation points to a different Ivy League school:
>> > >>
>> > >> 1937 _Yale Daily News_ 23 Feb. 4/3 (Yale Daily News Historical
>> Archive=
>> )
>> > >> That the Blues were potentially better skaters cannot be doubted, but
>> > >> somehow they lacked the old pizzazz down on the Arena ice last night.
>> > >>
>> > >
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society -
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>> %7C61f0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8=
>>
>> b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C637985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWI=
>>
>> joiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%=
>>
>> 7C&sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4FnanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserve=
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>>
>> 0ffefab9b4f80a6d208da94c4951c%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C=
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>> nanKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=3D0>
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>> 37985869291893945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luM=
>>
>> zIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DDoiIzem1GN4Fn=
>> anKofQxo%2Fh5pERMMKcnvnmmYs2UaLU%3D&reserved=3D0>
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>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>

-- 
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