[Ads-l] Antedating of "square" and "Squaresville"

[Jonathan Lighter]

In prehistory:

1862 _Leavenworth Daily Conservative_ (Sept. 21) 1: We are now prepared to
forward, with safety and dispatch,...packages of every description, in
charge of special messengers, to Olathe, Squaresville, Paola,...and all the
principal places in southern Kansas.

1891 _Cincinnati  Enquirer_ (Nov. 10) 5: Either that, or he will have to
"go to Squaresville" - that is, settle up.

1899 _Fort Wayne Gazette_ (March 28) 6: Morgan Murphy joined the Phillies
two days late, but got to "Squaresville" with a tale about washouts and
delayed trains.

1902 _Cincinnati Enquirer_ (Nov. 16) 10: They often went to Squaresville
with the story after the sale of a popular player's release


JL


On Fri, Dec 8, 2023 at 2:49 PM Steven Losie <stevenlosie at gmail.com> wrote:

> SQUARE (OED3, adj., sense II.10.d., 1946)
> This is the slang meaning, in the sense of "conventional, old-fashioned".
> Note that GDoS quotes the New York Age, 12 Oct 1940, which predates this,
> but is the noun form. ("Don't be no square" in the New York Age, vs. "Don't
> be square" in the below citation.)
>
> [begin quote]
> Get hep! Keep in step' Jam it son! Hit that drum! Don't be dicty, don't be
> square! Jive and sing and swing that thing!
> [end quote]
> Source: Muskogee Daily Phoenix (Muskogee, Oklahoma), 17 May 1942, p.18,
> col.1 (newspapers.com)
> Article title: Three Rip-Roaring Comedies Are Featured At The Ritz This
> Week
> Author: Paul Sadler
>
> SQUARESVILLE (OED3, 1956) (GDoS, 1953)
>
> [begin quote]
> To the ickie from Squaresville, who doesn't savvy the jive: Why don't you
> get your boots laced, get down in the dirty old ditch and dig deep with the
> reet beat, and then you'll be hep when the hot men feed the cats.
> [end quote]
> The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), 2 July 1943, p.9, col.2 (
> newspapers.com)
> Article title: Letterettes in Fifty Words / Greek Wins Popularity Steaks
>
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>


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