[Ads-l] Possible Further Antedating of "Square" (Slang Term)

[Shapiro, Fred]

I have been aware of this 1937 citation, but I have not regarded it as an antedating of the slang term "square" meaning "unhip."  The usage in the 1937 citation seems to mean the exact opposite of "unhip."  It seems that it means "hip."

Fred Shapiro


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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Steven Losie <stevenlosie at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2025 9:45 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Possible Further Antedating of "Square" (Slang Term)

It may also be worth mentioning that Barry Popik has found a "hip square
from Delaware" dating to 1937:

11 November 1937, Philadelphia (PA) Tribune, “Around the Schools: Gratz’s
Bulldog Bites” by Prof. Seesitall, pg. 8, col. 4:
Let him be as popular as the gigantic. colossal sporty, hip square from
Delaware, E. (Nokie) Noko.

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