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From: msb@sq.com (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious origin?
Message-ID: <1997Mar31.092548.23133@sq.com>
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
References: <859510234.21799@dejanews.com> <5hfmr7$1fr@uuneo.neosoft.com> <Pine.A32.3.93-heb-2.07.970328160242.50774A-100000@ashur.cc.biu.ac.il>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 09:25:48 GMT
Lines: 41

>>> What are the origins of the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

I reproduce part of the entry from the Supplement to the OED (1986).

#  su:percalifra:gilistic:expialido.cious, a.
#    Also supercalifragilistic; formerly also other varr.  [Fanciful: cf.
#    *SUPER a. 3.]  A nonsense-word used esp. by children, now chiefly
#    expressing excited approbation: fantastic, fabulous.
#  
#  Made popular by the Walt Disney film 'Mary Poppins' in 1964.  The song
#  containing the word was the subject of a copyright infringement suit
#  brought in 1965 against the makers of the film by Life Music Co. and
#  two songwriters: cf. quots. 1949, 1951.  In view of earlier oral uses
#  of the word sworn to in affidavits and dissimilarity between the songs
#  the judge ruled against the plaintiffs.
#  
#  1949 Parker & Young (unpublished song title) Supercalafajalistickes-
#  pialadojus.
#  
#  1951 -- (unpublished song title) Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus;
#  or, The super song.
#  
#  1964 R.M. & R.B. Sherman (song title) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
#  
#  1967 _Decisions U.S. Courts involving Copyright 1965-66_ 488  The
#  complaint alleges copyright infringement of plaintiff's song
#  '_Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus_' by defendant's song
#  '_Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_'.  (All variants of this
#  tongue twister will hereinafter be referred to collectively as
#  'the word'.)

So its origins are "fanciful", its first known appearance in writing was
in 1949 but it was used orally before that, and the function of "Mary
Poppins" was to make it popular (and, it seems, to freeze the spelling).
-- 
Mark Brader              "... there is no such word as 'impossible' in
msb@sq.com                my dictionary.  In fact, everything between
SoftQuad Inc.           'herring' and 'marmalade' appears to be missing."
Toronto           -- Douglas Adams:  Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

My text in this article is in the public domain.
