Deejays

/ˈdiːdʒeɪz/ noun

Definition

Radio or music entertainers who play songs, introduce music, and talk to the audience; the plural of deejay.

Etymology

From the letter initials 'D.J.' (disk jockey) spelled phonetically as 'deejay,' which originated in the 1930s when radio announcers played vinyl records and spoke between songs. 'Jockey' implied they were controlling or 'riding' the records.

Kelly Says

The term 'disk jockey' is borrowed from horse racing—DJs were basically 'riding' records the way a jockey rides a horse, controlling the pace and direction of the music flow, which is why the term caught on so perfectly in radio's early days.

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