[Ads-l] Antedating of "Geronimo"

Sun Jan 1 15:20:46 UTC 2023

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that the 1939 movie title was Geronimo!--note the exclamation mark.
The movie is described in newspapers, e.g., The Tacoma Times [Wash.], Jan. 12, 1940, 5/1, LoC thus:

"When, in the furious border days of the latter nineteenth century, the cry Geronimo! was raised, there was no doubting the full meaning of this ominous warning. Muskets came down from their wall pegs, windows were barred, and women and children hid [....]"

So, evidently, cry Geronimo! existed and was quite central to the 1939 movie, before being repurposed by air "cavalry."

Stephen Goranson

________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2023 9:25 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Geronimo"

Bill Mullins posted an April 19, '41, some years back.

That beat  July '41 in HDAS. HDAS also reveals the idea behind the shout,
which evidently broke the monotony of jumping out of an airplane, perhaps
at the gentle suggestion of the jumpmaster.

JL

On Sun, Jan 1, 2023 at 8:28 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Great work, Fred and James. The Unz database has the pertinent issue
> of "Collier's". The cover date on the issue of "Collier's" is later
> than the article in "The News-Journal" of Brigham, Utah, but the
> "Collier's" article was seen by the journalist at "The News-Journal".
> Hence, the "Collier's" article was written on or before April 11,
> 1941.
>
> Date: April 19, 1941 (written and seen on or before April 11, 1941)
> Periodical: Collier's Weekly
> Article: Our New Army
> Start Page 24, Quote Page 25
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.unz.com/print/Colliers-1941apr19-00024/__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D_v1CASVg$
>
> [Begin excerpt - please double check for OCR errors]
> FORT BENNING, GEORGIA . Shortly before forty-seven members of the
> 501st Parachute Battalion were selected to begin training in mass
> jumping, a movie called Geronimo was exhibited at the Post Exchange.
> For some reason which nobody seems able to explain the jumpers made
> Geronimo their rallying cry. Now, each man shouts the word lustily as
> he dives out into space. The original forty-seven parachutists have
> been augmented by several hundred, and training has advanced to the
> point where an entire company will jump at one time.
> [End excerpt]
>
> There was a discussion thread on this mailing list back in January
> 2017 about the battle cry “Geronimo”.
>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2017-January/145991.html__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D-GY4UoOQ$
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2017-January/145994.html__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D_rZy4MVg$
>
> Peter Reitan found an article in "The Baltimore Sun" of May 8, 1941
> that reprinted the key section of the "Collier's" article.
>
> Garson
>
> On Sun, Jan 1, 2023 at 7:52 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> >
> > And a very slight further antedating (with some etymological content) ...
> >
> > 1941 News-Journal (Brigham, Utah) 11 Apr. 2/2 (Newspapers.com)
> According to Collier's edition of April 19, 1941, shortly before
> forty-seven members of the 501st Parachute Battalion were selected to begin
> training in mass jumping, a movie called "Geronimo" was exhibited at the
> Post Exchange.  Now each man shouts Geronimo as he dives out into space.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> > Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2023 6:18 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: Antedating of "Geronimo"
> >
> > Grest find, James !
> >
> > Here's a slightly earlier citation:
> >
> > 1941 Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer 27 Apr. 11/5 (Newspapers.com)  As members
> of the battalion jump from the planes they yell "Geronimo" to show that
> they aren't frightened.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> James Eric Lawson <jel at NVENTURE.COM>
> > Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2023 4:00 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: Antedating of "Geronimo"
> >
> > 1941  _The Times_ (Munster, Indiana) 22 Jun 1/1 'Geronimo' Is Yell of
> > the 'Chute Boys (headline)
> >
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fwww.newspapers.com*2Fclip*2F115559007*2Fgeronimo-yell-all*2F&data=05*7C01*7Cfred.shapiro*40YALE.EDU*7Cc0d0889cad284bc2663e08daebea01f5*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638081687532905082*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C&sdata=aWOMKd*2BvRHpBpj*2Bqz8ueu*2Bk4ovER3B2afFDhqqcwQHw*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D_3MjomUw$
> >
> > On 12/31/22 11:19, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
> > > Geronimo (OED 1942 [30 Nov.])
> > >
> > > 1942 Yank 8 July 12  Holding an air-ground communication set to his
> ear, he can hear the piercing "Geronimo!" yell as the men leap.
> > >
> > > Fred Shapiro
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society -
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http*3A*2F*2Fwww.americandialect.org*2F&data=05*7C01*7Cfred.shapiro*40YALE.EDU*7Cc0d0889cad284bc2663e08daebea01f5*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638081687532905082*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C&sdata=mAgiKcIspvgy0sQWSNK5fhBRzLn1nxFo*2BD1PeW3MM3s*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D8QTUF7jA$
> >
> > --
> > James Eric Lawson
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http*3A*2F*2Fwww.americandialect.org*2F&data=05*7C01*7Cfred.shapiro*40YALE.EDU*7Cc0d0889cad284bc2663e08daebea01f5*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638081687532905082*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C&sdata=mAgiKcIspvgy0sQWSNK5fhBRzLn1nxFo*2BD1PeW3MM3s*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D8QTUF7jA$
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http*3A*2F*2Fwww.americandialect.org*2F&data=05*7C01*7Cfred.shapiro*40YALE.EDU*7Cc0d0889cad284bc2663e08daebea01f5*7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c*7C0*7C0*7C638081687532905082*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000*7C*7C*7C&sdata=mAgiKcIspvgy0sQWSNK5fhBRzLn1nxFo*2BD1PeW3MM3s*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D8QTUF7jA$
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D97w9jktw$
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D97w9jktw$
>

--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!sdM-yTesSqsAQ0NE1-JIgvbpgx65dLCGo_hBM7rdWgZX05uXzCbeUsmzbzS8XaF8i1cwMmbMfBCs8D97w9jktw$

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