[Ads-l] spooktacular

[Ben Zimmer]

Way back in '06, Barry Popik shared a "spooktacular" cite from Oct. 27,
1897 in the Christian Observer of Louisville -- it's the same syndicated
piece with "'spooktacular' objects" that appeared a day earlier in the
Rochester Herald.

https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2006-September/062795.html

The Christian Observer cite is also mentioned in this 2016 Atlantic article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/10/spooktacular-etymology-halloween-linguistics/505385/

On Sat, Oct 10, 2026 at 9:23 AM Jonathan Lighter <
00001aad181a2549-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> Older than I'd thought:
>
> 1897 Rochester [N.Y.]  Herald (Oct. 26) 5 [N]: A Halloween
> Party...[with] "spooktacular" objects.
>
> 1897 Spokane Chronicle (Oct. 30) 3 [N]: Ghosts and witches and things
> "spooktacular."
>
> But hardly anything else before the '40s.
>
>
>

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