Etymology Fun

I collect books about the English language--I've been reading Mario Pei since junior high school--and still love finding out things about words I never knew. For instance, I'd always thought the word "groovy" was a 1960s creation, or perhaps maybe went as far back as the late 1950s beatnik. What a surprise, then, to watch the original theatrical trailer for 1947's Miracle on 34th Street and hear a young actress refer to the movie as "groovy"!

"Hop," as a euphemism for dance, to me sounded like perhaps a creation of the swing crowd in the 1930s, or perhaps even as far back as the 1920s flappers. So it was with interest I noted its use in a St. Nicholas serialized nonfiction piece about a young man's appointment and subsequent education at West Point. He attends several dances, or "hops" as they are referred to.

Date the story was written? 1887.

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 9:52:00 AM

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