[Ads-l] Antedating "Easter egg"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Showing my age, Bill.

JL

On Mon, Apr 6, 2026 at 12:32 AM Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com> wrote:

> >   "Early 1570s." Heh heh.
> >
> >   JL
> >
> >   On Sat, Apr 4, 2026 at 9:28 PM Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> In recognition of tomorrow's holiday  . . .
> >>
> >> OED (2) 1986
> >> The OED suggests that the term comes from computing.  Online sources
> claim
> >> that it comes from the world of video games, and state that the 1981
> cite
> >> below is the origin of the term (although actual Easter eggs are
> documented
> >> back into the early 1970s).
>
> I should have been more clear.  Jon is right — the classical Easter Eggs,
> the
> decorated ones given on Easter and that are presumably laid by the Easter
> Bunny,
> go back to the 1570s.
>
> The ones that I was referring to, that go back to the early 1970s, are
> examples of
> the hidden bonus information that the OED (2) entry applies to.  They
> existed for years
> before they came to be called "Easter Eggs."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


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