[Ads-l] Antedating of "Wannabe" (Adjective)

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Fun topic, Fred. Nice work, Bill.  Here is an unambiguous instance of
the adjective "wanna-be" in 1954.

Date: April 29, 1954
Newspaper: The Malden Press
Newspaper Location: Malden, Missouri
Article: Ladies Day May 3 At Country Club
Quote Page 1, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-malden-press-wanna-be/193834112/

[Begin excerpt]
All the ladies, both the golfers and the wanna-be golfers are invited
and urged to attend.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Fri, Mar 20, 2026 at 9:00 AM Shapiro, Fred
<00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> wannabe, adj. (OED 1986)
>
> 1972 Sarasota Journal 20 Oct. 1/1 (Newspapers.com)
>
> The big chief of the National Congress of American Indians, Lee Cook, introduces his wife as a Wannabe (want-to-be) Indian.  She's a pretty Swedish girl with not an ounce of Indian blood.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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