[Ads-l] Antedating of "Jazz Up"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

An article with the phrase "jazz the game up a bit'" has been clipped
four times on newspapers.com. Barry Popik clipped the article in
September 2023.

[Begin OED excerpt]
jazz verb 3.b.
transitive. To enliven; to render more interesting, exciting, or
vibrant. Usually with up.
[End OED excerpt]

Date: February 07, 1914
Newspaper: The Butte Miner
Newspaper Location: Butte, Montana
Article: RITCHIE THE BOY FOR BUSINESS EVERY TIME
Quote Page 8, Column 2
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-butte-miner-jazz-the-game-up-1914/132482420/

[Begin excerpt]
This Australian layout has supplied the title holder with a new line
to work on, and, of course, nobody can blame him for going the whole
route if he sees a chance to jazz the game up a bit.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Mon, Jun 1, 2026 at 7:11 AM Shapiro, Fred
<00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> jazz up (OED 1917)
>
> 1915 San Francisco Call 14 Aug. 10/2 (Newspapers.com)
>
> The boys needed those runs, too, for the Bees started to jazz things up in their half of the ninth.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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