[Ads-l] Antedating of "Dude" (Eastern)

[Cohen, Gerald L.]

Hi Fred (with a wave to the others),

I read your latest message but then somehow lost it.  Anyway,
WRT your questions as to whether the April 4 1883
might antedate the OED attestation 2 for dude
(A man from the eastern United States; a male city
dweller,...), I would be cautious about accepting this.
All the early attestations of dude that Barry, Peter, and I
came across pertain to the brainless, vacuous, effeminate
(but not gay), rich young men caricatured in Robert Sale
Hill's 1883 poem.  The semantic shift of dude to designate
simply a male city dweller unaccustomed to  country life had
apparently not yet occurred by April 1883.

If Barry or Peter see this differently, please feel free to join in.

Jerry


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Subject:      Antedating of "Dude" (Eastern)
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dude (OED, 2., 1884)

1883 Sunday Oregonian 15 Apr. 4/1 (Newspapers.com)

The eastern 'dude' is evidently looked upon as being worth preserving as a =
harmless curiosity.

Fred Shapiro

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