Sweet Adelinen.
/swiːt ˈadɪlʌɪn/ U.S.
Used in plural to denote a group or organization of female barbershop singers (cf. barbershop n. 2). Also attributive in singular.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musician > singer > company of singers > [noun] > close harmony group
Sweet Adeline1947
1903 R. H. Gerard You're the Flower of my Heart, Sweet Adeline (song) 5 Sweet Adeline. For you I pine.]
1947 Harmonizer Nov. 37/1 The Sweet Adelines, women's quartet organization, held their first convention and contest in Tulsa in October.
1958 Music Jrnl. Nov.–Dec. 67/2 A Sweet Adeline Chapter..is a chorus and usually meets once a week.
1969 Pitch Pipe Summer 7/1 We as Sweet Adelines have a..responsibility to present ourselves as an ‘in’ group..capable of presenting..choruses and performances.
1972 Music Educators Jrnl. Dec. 71/1 ‘The Sweet Adelines’, an organization for women, have been largely responsible for keeping alive this style of singing.
1979 Tucson (Arizona) Citizen 20 Sept. (Old Pueblo Suppl.) 2/4 On the bill for the 5 p.m. show are the Arizona Opera Puppets..the Old Pueblo Sweet Adelines.
Derivatives
Sweet ˈAdeline v. (intransitive) to sing in barbershop style.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)] > sing barber's shop style
Sweet Adeline1949
1949 Educational Music Mag. Nov.–Dec. 38/3 So—get four boys ‘Sweet Adelining’ around the place if you want to start a real male section to your choir.
Sweet ˈAdelining n. (also Sweet 'Adelineing)
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [noun] > barber's shop singing
woodshedding1949
Sweet Adelining1961
1961 Pitch Pipe Aug. 13/2 I've just completed one of the most fabulous weekends in my career of ‘Sweet Adelining’.
1966 Pitch Pipe Spring 6/1 Sweet Adeline-ing is almost as habit-forming as a drug!
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.1947