[Ads-l] Antedating of "Goof Off"

[Peter Reitan]

“goof off” July 1939, used by someone in the military on Hawaii, in discussing how he picked his baseball team, preferring experience over batting average.

Honolulu Advertiser, July 11, 1939, page 9.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115581595/the-honolulu-advertiser/

“[Engineer Staff Sgt.] Thomason prefers to have an old head under fire instead of some lamb to goof off when the going is tough.”

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From: ADSGarson O'Toole<mailto:adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2023 7:19 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Goof Off"

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Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Goof Off"
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Green=E2=80=99s Dictionary of Slang (GDoS) has eight senses for the verb "g=
oof off".
https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/j2sbrqi

The earliest citation in GDoS is for the following sense:

[Begin excerpt from GDoS]
2. to blunder; to wreck.
1939 [US] Army and Navy Register (US) 18 Nov. 3/2: =E2=80=98Goof off,=E2=80=
=99 to make
a mistake.
[End excerpt from GDoS]

JL=E2=80=99s Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (HDAS) ha=
s a
1941 citation (as mentioned by JL):

[Begin excerpt from HDAS]
goof off v. 1. Esp. Mil. To blunder; fumble; GOOF, v., 5. A.
1941 Hargrove  Pvt. Hargrove 84: Goof-off =E2=80=93 to make a mistake.
[End excerpt from HDAS]

Like Fred, I did not attempt a comprehensive search. For this term, I
just looked in GDoS, HDAS, and OED.

Garson



On Sun, Jan 1, 2023 at 9:40 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wr=
ote:
>
> HDAS (a resource widely underutilized) has a 1941, from Marion Hargrove's
> best-selling _See Here, Private Hargrove!_ (pub. July, 1942).
>
> JL
>
> On Sat, Dec 31, 2022 at 2:40 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wro=
te:
>
> > goof off, v. (OED, 1.e., 1952)
> >
> > 1942 Yank 2 Dec. 11  He goofed off somehow.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth=
."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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