St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, March 1, 1883  

A new word has been coined. It is d-u-d-e or d-o-o-d. The spelling does not seem to be distinctly settled yet, but custom will soon regulate it.

A dude cannot be old; he must be young, and to be properly termed a dude he should be one of a certain class who affect the Metropolitan theaters. The dude is from 19 to 28 years of age, wears trousers of extreme tightness, is hollow-chester, effeminate in his ways, apes the English and distinguishes himself among his fellowmen as a lover of actresses.

They are offensive, because they blow cigarette smoke in the ladies’ faces and monopolize the bar between the acts.