[Ads-l] Antedating of "Gandy Dancer"

[Stephen Goranson]

August 1, 1912
Contractor [Chicago] v. xvi, n.3 50/1

McFadden explains that a "Gandy Dancer" is nothing more than a shovel stiff , who works at track surfacing with a number two, putting gravel underneath the ties.

https://books.google.com/books?id=fd1aAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA50&dq=%22gandy+dancer%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjrqsih2diOAxWBLtAFHdntF9IQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=%22gandy%20dancer%22&f=false
[https://books.google.com/books/content?id=fd1aAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&edge=curl&imgtk=AFLRE71pTJrA0niGHcSKJDYz7aT98Z56ktBFQL0axE2ON7nN0pPp798QQ_Yu1J6oWiXvaiFGKQN9eA4lV9Ht5jQtw7Zu0DP_JOKmraO6eg1zO6JzanuDhlDS0osma-Cur7rBOGFtzEyN]<https://books.google.com/books?id=fd1aAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA50&dq=%22gandy+dancer%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjrqsih2diOAxWBLtAFHdntF9IQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=%22gandy%20dancer%22&f=false>
Contractor<https://books.google.com/books?id=fd1aAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA50&dq=%22gandy+dancer%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjrqsih2diOAxWBLtAFHdntF9IQ6AF6BAgHEAM#v=onepage&q=%22gandy%20dancer%22&f=false>
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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: Friday, July 25, 2025 1:07 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Antedating of "Gandy Dancer"

gandy-dancer (OED 1923)

1913 Omaha Sunday Bee 14 Sept. 1 / 2 (Newspapers.com)

Gandy-dancer — The handler of the steam shovel.

Fred Shapiro

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