[Ads-l] Antedating of "Tap Dancing, " Antedating of "Tap Dancer"

[Rich Lowenthal]

>From the Salt Lake Telegram (published as the Evening Telegram) August 
6, 1913, p. 5, from America's Historical Newspapers:

"Elliott and West are a pair of grotesque dancers. Their routine varies 
from the wooden shoe and tap dancing to soft shoe eccentric 
specialties."

This seems to refer to what we call tap dancing, although likely not 
African American dancers.

------ Original Message ------
>From "Ben Zimmer" <00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 9/17/2025 20:11:47
Subject Re: Antedating of "Tap Dancing," Antedating of "Tap Dancer"

>The US version of Google Books shows the full page view for this volume, so
>the date can be confirmed. It's from the Oct. 1913 issue of Green Book
>("Chorus Girls in the Making" by George Vaux Bacon, p. 576).
>
>https://books.google.com/books?id=zIBpU1E06F8C&pg=PA576
>
>On Wed, Sep 17, 2025 at 8:06 PM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com <
>mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>  https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Green_Book_Magazine/zIBpU1E06F8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22tap-dancing%22&dq=%22tap-dancing%22&printsec=frontcover
>>
>>    << ... the ability to do "tap" dancing , which is the type of dancing
>>  to
>>  which the familiar " buck and wing " belongs in which the parts of
>>  the feet touch the floor successively , giving a sound of tapping .  >>
>>
>>  The Green Book Magazine, possibly 1913.
>>
>>  The magazine ceased publication in 1921, so it seems likely to be an
>>  antedating.
>>
>>
>>  ------ Original Message ------
>>  From "Shapiro, Fred" <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>  Date 13/09/2025 20:42:15
>>  Subject Antedating of "Tap Dancing," Antedating of "Tap Dancer"
>>
>>  >Early citations for "tap dance," "tap dancing," and "tap dancer" often
>>  are unclear as to whether the dances were similar to what we think of as
>>  "tap," and whether the dancers were African American.  However, the
>>  following antedatings of OED are clearly about what we think of as tap
>>  dancing and about African American dancers:
>>  >
>>  >tap dancing (OED 1928)  1923 New York Age 2 June 6/1 (Newspapers.com)
>>  When it comes to neat, clever, snappy tap-dancing, this Bill Robinson, a
>>  colored fellow, is certainly the king of them all.
>>  >
>>  >tap dancer (OED 1927)  1924 Chicago Defender 8 Nov. I-8 (Newspapers.com)
>>  Dancing for over 20 minutes ... was the record hung up by Davis and
>>  Tressie, the Colored pair of steppers ... this male member of the team is
>>  the best of all tap dancers.
>>  >
>>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org