"This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from."
-- The Stranger

So, why would the Stranger say that "Dude" is a name no one would "self-apply?" Well, there’s a bit of a story behind that. Dude hasn’t always been a reference to a calm, cool, casual person. Believe it or not, it was once an insult.

Sometime in early 1883, someone looked at a group of young men in New York who were very concerned about their clothes and appearance in a very affected and excessive way…. And he called them, "doodes." We have no idea of who said it, but we do know why (see our Yankee Doodle article!).

A Weak Mustache

You see, the late 1800s had a wave of "modern" dandies (most in New York City) who started wearing silk cravats and tapered trousers, varnished shoes, striped vests and outfits others found to be over-the-line. So, "Dude" was defined in an 1897 dictionary as, "a name given in ridicule to a man affecting an exaggerated fastidiousness in dress, speech and deportment."

Here’s a poem from the Brooklyn Sunday Eagle for April 22, 1883:

What is the dude, papa?" she said, with sweet, inquiring eyes,
And to the knowledge seeking maid, her daddy thus replies:
A weak mustache, a cigarette, a thirteen button vest,
A curled rim hat—a minaret—two watch chains cross the breast.
A pair of bangs, a lazy drawl, a lackadaisy air;
For gossip at the club or ball, some little past "affair."
Two pointed shoes, two spindle shanks, complete the nether charms;
And follow fitly in the ranks, the two bow legged arms.
An empty head, a buffoon’s sense, a poising attitude;
"By Jove" "Egad!" "But aw" "Immense!" All these make up the dude.

In the 1880s, a New York City socialite, Evander Berry Wall, became the first, "Dude," when he earned the title, "King of the Dudes," but that’s another story we'll cover later.

"Dude" eventually found itself meaning, "clueless city slickers." In the 1880s, the American West was being romanticized and city folk were flocking west to spend their free time at "Dude Ranches," named because the well-dressed vacationers were often seen as overly fanciful visitors to an otherwise rough environment.

The 1960s & Beyond

From its coining in 1883, "Dude" continued to be used. Initially, lower class people tossed it around, and later people of all classes were familiar with it. Somehow the surf culture of the 1960s latched on to this word that had transformed from describing a "dandy" to simply referring to a "guy" or "gal."

One of the first references to the word in popular culture was in the 1969 movie Easy Rider. Peter Fonda’s character, Wyatt, explains the definition of "dude," saying, "Dude means, ‘nice guy.’ Dude means, ‘regular sort of person.’" In the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Wayne's World, and Clerks all embraced the word and sealed its use in American culture.

Dudette?

"Dude" has become a unisex term. Though, in the 1880s, there was the female form, "dudine." In the 1960s, folks experimented with "Dudess," and in the 1980s, "dudette," but none of that stuck. So, there you have it, Dude!

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