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The earliest I've been to trace the term with certainty is 1991, which I did in this entry in my online dictionary. You'll also see a 1984 citation there which alludes to a Cyndi Lauper concert tour and contains a reference to the term that could be related, but might not be. That citation has been widely misunderstood to be the earliest usage, both by William Safire, who quotes Paul Dickson and who in turn attributes the lines as if Cyndi Lauper herself said them, which she did not. Newsweek, in its turn, credits the 1984 “find†to Safire and doesn't mention Dickson. But it's wrong. 1991 is the earliest in-print use for the term that's been found so far.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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