[Ads-l] Antedating of "Jitterbug" (Verb)

Thu Jan 22 00:54:56 UTC 2026

jitterbug, v. (OED 1938)

1934 Afro-American (Baltimore) 14 Apr. 21 (ProQuest)  Claude McKay ... and a few lesser lites have become Jitter Bugged.

1938 Roanoke (Va.) World News 5 Jan. 10/1 (Genealogy Bank)  They've had Jim's romance and Sue's jitterbugging in their hair.

Fred Shapiro

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