[Ads-l] Antedating of "Diddly Squat" and "Doodly Squat"

[Shapiro, Fred]

doodly squat (OED 1934)  1925 Stanly News-Herald (Albemarle, N.C.) 1 Sept 1/3 (Newspapers.com)  Grover Thompson known as "Doodly Squat," will play drums in the orchestra.

diddly squat (OED 1963)  1949 Miami Herald 16 Feb. 7-D/2 (Newspapers.com)  Now, with regard to the keys, we have no alibi.  Stamding entirely on our own, we didn't do woth a diddley squat.

NOTE: Ben Zimmer has written that "doodly squat" originated in African American usage.  I am not sure that the citations bear this out.  Regardless of how it originated, "doodly squat" chas been used extensively by African Americans.

Fred Shapiro



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