A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from June 13, 2009
Double Dog Dare (Triple Dog Dare)

Entry in progress—B.P.
 
Dictionary of American Regional English
double-dog dare v phr Also dog dare, double-black-dog dare, double-dare, double-darse dare, double-D dare, double-nigger dare, double-niggle dare chiefly Sth, S Midl Note; THe formulatic phr build both on alliteration and (usus euphemistic) intensifiers.
To challenger defiantly; hence vbl n double darse-daring: n double-dog dare challenge
1892 Dialect Notes 1.229 KY, Dare, CHildren in quarrelling say, “I dare you,” “I dog dare you,” “I black dog dare you,” “I double dog dare you,” “I double black dog dare you.” [Dialect Notes: in Michigan dare and double dare.]
1905 Dialect Notes 3.76 nwAR, Dare, dog-dare, double-dog-dare...To challenger. CHildren say…“I dog-dare you.”..Common.
1908

3.305 eAL, wGA, Dog-dare, double-dog-dare...To challenge defiantly.
 
12 September 1891, Woodland (CA) Daily Democrat, pg. 2, col. 1:
They now talk very loudly about taking the matter to the Courts, and having justice meted out to them by a higher tribunal than the State Board of Equalization but it will all end in the big blow that they are making: they will never file a single paper, and the outside counties dare, double dare, black dog dare and defy them to even begin a suit of this kind, and for that matter we formly believe that the State Board would do the same thing if questioned about the matter.
 
Google Books
Some Peculiarities of Speech in Mississippi
By Hubert Anthony Shands
Boston, MA: Norwood Press
1893
Pg. 71:
Dare. In Mississippi dare and double dog dare are used by children in quarrelling. Dog dare and double black dog dare I have never heard.
     
17 November 1895, Charlotte (NC) Observer, pg. 2:
Now we give you a “black dog dare” to come out and tell who pays for the distribution of “Merchant’s” pamphlet and other gold-bug literature. We dare you to tell it. You don’t dare to do it and you know it!
 
Google Books
The Child and Childhood in Folk Thought
By Alexander Francis Chamberlain
New York, NY: Macmillan and Co.
1896
Pg. 256:
Interesting is the following scale of challenging, which professor J. P. Fruit reports from kentucky (430, 229):—
 
“I dare you; I dog dare you; I double dog dare you.
I dare you; I black dog dare you; I double black dog dare you.”
       
Google Books
Loving an Alcoholic:
Help and hope for significant others

By Jack Mumey
Published by Contemporary Books
1985
Pg. 55:
Anyone who didn’t answer a “triple dog dare” threat couldn’t expect to save face ever again!
 
The Daily Collegian (Penn State University
[ Friday, Sept. 13, 1991 ]
My Opinion
Too many bad movies, too few state capitols

(...)
I triple-dog dare anyone to drag me to an action thriller.
 
30 July 1992, Kansas City (MO) Star, “A bet turns a mechanic into a racer” by Molly Reid, pg. 11:
I dare you. I triple-dog dare you. I dare you to get behind the wheel of a race car.

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Texas (Lone Star State Dictionary) • Saturday, June 13, 2009 • Permalink


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