[Ads-l] Antedating of "Yo" (Greeting)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The same greetings appeared in an earlier comic strip

Date: August 18, 1979
Newspaper: The Modesto Bee
Newspaper Location: Modesto, California
Section: Comics (Date on comic section is August 19, 1979)
Comic Strip Title: The Born Loser
Comic Strip Artist: Art Sansom
Quote Page Unnumbered 6
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-modesto-bee-yohurricane/177388717/

[Begin excerpt]
Panel 01
 YO, BRUTUS!
 YO, HURRICANE!

Panel 03
 CARE FOR A BANANA, HURRICANE?
[End excerpt]

On Thu, Jul 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Excellent antedating, Fred. Here is a slightly earlier instance in
> 1979. Two characters are greeting one another in a comic strip. Click
> the link to see the full strip
>
> Date: September 22, 1979 (The date next to the signature is 9-23 which
> is a Sunday. Apparently, this strip was intended for Sunday
> publication, but some newspapers published it on Saturday)
> Newspaper: Statesville Record and Landmark
> Newspaper Location: Statesville, North Carolina
> Section: Comics
> Comic Strip Title: The Born Loser
> Comic Strip Artist: Art Sansom
> Quote Page 1
> Database: Newspapers.com
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesville-record-and-landmark-yobrutus/177386740/
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Panel 01
>  YO, BRUTUS!
>  YO, HURRICANE!
>
> Panel 02
>  WHAT'S UP?
> [End excerpt]
>
> On Thu, Jul 24, 2025 at 4:51 PM Shapiro, Fred
> <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> >
> > CORRECTION:  The citation below should be "partner," not "partners."
> >
> > yo (greeting) (OED 1988)
> >
> > 1980 New York Times 19 Oct. section 6, page 44 ff.
> >
> > He ambles out the door and heads for the nearest pay phone to call his partners.  "Yo, man," he says, "it's NE.  I got the rest of my colors.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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