subs. (American).—A swell; fop; ‘masher.’ For synonyms, see DANDY. [From Scots DUDS = clothes; Cf., quot., 1870.] Derivatives are DUDETTE and DUDINETTE = a young girl affecting the airs of a belle; DUDINE = a female masher.
1870. Putnam’s Magazine, Feb. Think of her? I think she is dressed like a DUD; can’t say how she would look in the costume of the present century.
1883. Graphic, 31 March, p. 319, col. 1. The one object for which the DUDE exists is to tone down the eccentricities of fashion…. The silent, subfuse, subdued ‘DUDE’ hands down the traditions of good form.
1889. Puck’s Library, April, p. 3. For the front rows two styles are recommended—DUDE, No. 16, and Bald-headed Man, No. 41—both original in design and exquisite in finish.
