[Ads-l] Antedating of "Hep"

[Stephen Goranson]

New to me but Green's Do'Slang has

next (to) adj (US)
1. aware, knowledgeable, informed, sophisticated; as n. a state of being thus informed, etc.
1896
[[US]]
F. Hutcheson
Barkeep Stories<https://greensdictofslang.com/sources/10194>
 44: ‘I was only askin’ t’ see wedder you was next to de graft er not’.
and
joseph adj.
[ext. of joe adj. (1)<https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/2eqxfrq#sn1>]
(US) aware, in the know; thus as n., one who is aware.
1896
[[US]]
F. Hutcheson
Barkeep Stories<https://greensdictofslang.com/sources/10194>
 142: ‘I never see him afore widout de harness on, an’ dat’s w’y I ain’t Joseph to him’.
sg

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Shapiro, Fred <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, August 3, 2025 10:28 AM
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Subject: Antedating of "Hep"

hep (OED 1899)

1897 St, Louis Post-Dispatch 12 Sept. 20/5 (Newspapers.com)  Following is the Thieves' Dictionary, compiled by "Sleepy" Burk, ex-convict, and published in his new paper, "The National X-Ray." ... Hep — To understand.

NOTE:  Strictly speaking, the Thieves' Dictionary is defining "hep" as a verb.  However, I think it is clear that Burk plays loosely with parts of speech.  For example, he defines "framed" as "a thorough understanding."  Presumably he views "hep" as an adjective.  The following definitions show the part-of-speech looseness and confirm that he is using "hep" in its modern sense of "knowing":

Joseph — Hep or next.
Next — To know.

I have no idea about the logic behind "Joseph" or "next" as slang terms.

Fred Shapiro

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