[Ads-l] Antedating of "Jazz Up"

[Peter Reitan]

What I recall from analyzing early examples of "jazz" is that there seemed to be a slang sense of the word meaning something like "pep", primarily used out west (Arizona, California, Oregon) before and concurrent with early musical senses of the word.

The cited early use in Montana may be from that strain of jazz, meaning more or less "pep up."  So the form may be from earlier meaning of jazz, and not derived from jazzing up musically.

https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/09/is-jasbo-jazz-or-just-hokum-and-gravy.html<https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2014/09/is-jasbo-jazz-or-just-hokum-and-gravy.html?m=1>

Later, but interesting, in 1917, they "jazzed up" one of the National airs (America) while playing the Star Spangled Banner straight, before a World Series game in the jazz hotbed of Chicago.

https://esnpc.blogspot.com/2015/10/jazzed-up-national-anthems-hats-hearts.html

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, June 1, 2026 11:56:24 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Jazz Up"

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
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Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Jazz Up"
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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-1914/13=
2482420/

[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=E2=80=AFAM 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 i=
n their half of the ninth.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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