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

[Bill Mullins]

1899 Des Moines Daily Leader 3/4

Riley and McFarland "cracked wise" at police station and declined to make any statemen to the detectives.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/128085858/?match=1&terms=%22cracked%20wise


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: ADSGarson O'Toole <00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu<mailto:00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu>>
Date: Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Subject: Antedating of "Wisecrack" (Verb)
To: <ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu<mailto:ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu>>


The OED presents a 1946 citation for the verb form of wisecrack.

[Begin OED excerpt]
wisecrack verb
colloquial (originally U.S.).
(intransitive) to make wisecracks; also transitive, with quoted words as object.

1946 Both authors wisecrack their way through adverse circumstances.
Saturday Review of Literature (U.S.) 2 November 41/1
[End excerpt]

On May 19, 1906, the "Arkansas Democrat" of Little Rock, Arkansas used
the phrase "the wise-cracking kid", but the meaning of "wise-cracking"
was ambiguous to me. During the following years "wise-cracking kid"
and "wise-cracking guy" appeared.

An unambiguous instance of the verb form of "wisecrack" appeared in 1920.

Date: April 25, 1920
Newspaper: The Boston Globe
Newspaper Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Article: Overall Parade in New York a Farce
Quote Page 16, Column 6
Database: Newspapers.com
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-wisecracked/207726653/

[Begin excerpt]
"But I think we created a lot of sentiment," observed one overalled
marcher in his club after the fliv expired.
"You mean sediment." wise-cracked his file-mate.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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

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