Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Today's OED antedating: "klutz"

Klutz, slang, clumsy and often socially-inept person, ex Yiddish (first use cited 1965): Advertisement titled "Show Girl Wins Rich Clubman," by anonymous, Time, March 27, 1933, p 30, col 3: "Referring affectionately to her new fiancé as a 'kind-hearted old klotz' shapely Vera De Vere today announced forthcoming nuptials with Brian Holliday, popular young man about town."