[Ads-l] Antedating of "Rug Cutting" and "Cut a Rug"

[Peter Reitan]

"Strug" may be the dance, short for struggle, which was occasionally used to refer to dancing, "struggle hall" as a dance hall and "five cent struggle" dance or "jitney struggle" dance were used as early as 1916.

In the Nov 27 1937 example, strug fits a rhyming structure with rug-strug-club-snug-fun.

Some examples of struggle as a dance.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tulsa-tribune/207951133/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-times/207951083/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news/207950839/


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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: Friday, 09 October 2026 08:28:48
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Rug Cutting" and "Cut a Rug"

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
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Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Rug Cutting" and "Cut a Rug"
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Another interesting hypothesis. Thanks, Stephen.
Garson

On Fri, Oct 9, 2026 at 11:15=E2=80=AFAM Stephen Goranson
<00001dd3d6fc15d3-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Might "society strug" be a typo for "society strut"?
>
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2026 at 10:15=E2=80=AFAM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> 00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > Excellent citations, Fred. Here is "cut a rug" and "cut the rug" with
> > the desired sense on the same day in November 1937.
> >
> > Date: November 27, 1937
> > Newspaper: Detroit Tribune: The Leading Negro Weekly of Michigan
> > Newspaper Location: Detroit, Michigan
> > Article: East Detroit News
> > Author: Katie Jones
> > Quote Page 9, Column 8
> > Database: GenealogyBank
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > Did you want to cut a rug? You should have gone to the society strug
> > given by the East Detroit Smart Set Social Club. There was a large
> > crowd but it wasn't so snug. There was dancing, entertainment and
> > plenty of fun.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > I do not know the meaning of "strug". You may wish to examine the scan
> > in GenealogyBank to double-check that word. It is not in the OED.
> >
> > Date: November 27, 1937
> > Newspaper: The Billboard
> > Newspaper Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
> > Section: Music
> > Article: Bless You, Sister
> > Quote Page 21, Column 2
> > Database: ProQuest
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > At the musicians' union benefit show last Monday Joseph N. Weber, AFM
> > prez, was really "sent" by the hi-de-hoisms of Cab Calloway. Weber and
> > his party, which included heads of the near-by locals, couldn't
> > restrain from mugging the melody of Minnie the Moocher at the callings
> > of Cab. Following night found Calloway cupping his ear to a phonograph
> > recording where he got the urge to cut the rug from Rosetta Howard and
> > the Harlem Hamfats asking Is You a Viper?
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Thu, Oct 8, 2026 at 4:57=E2=80=AFPM Shapiro, Fred
> > <00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > rug cutting (OED 1937)  1932 Chicago Defender 19 Mar. 7/7
> > (Newspapers.com)  We have until Saturday, the 26th, to rest before the =
next
> > "rug cutting" (dance).
> > >
> > > cut a rug (OED 1940)  1939 Birmingham Post 6 Jan. 3/1 (Newspapers.com=
)
> > For "10 cents an hour" swing lovers in Birmingham will have opportunity=
 to
> > "cut a rug" aplenty the last two weeks in January.
> > >
> > > Fred Shapiro
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
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> >
>
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