Friday, May 07, 2021
Which came first?
Mentioning chickens in previous item reminded me... Girls were sometimes called chickens in 1930s and 1940s radio shows. NOT chicks. Chicken wasn't nearly as common as dame or doll or gal, but it appeared now and then in jokes and songs.
Example 1 from a 1933 Mirth Parade:
Why are you so grumpy today?
A chicken got into my new garden and ruined it.
Well, you shouldn't feel bad. The same thing happened to Adam in the Garden of Eden.
Example 2 from a 1950 'Ignorant':
Why is a man like a worm?
Because some chicken always gets him.
Chick seems to have started in the '50s, probably with the Beats.
This online discussion completely misses the chicken to chick transition, mainly assuming that chick came from chica.
Labels: Language update
¶ 9:19 PM
