CULTURETECHLENSwhat's the 411
VERIFIED evidence grade — master store (canonical CSV)
Combined Graph record U-00654 · provenance: canonical master store (CSV), record CTL-W-0253. Master record source: CTL seed 2026-10-16 — UNVERIFIED, verify before public citation.
Merriam-Webster word-history article 'The 411 on Words Meaning Information' (fetched in full): dialing 4-1-1 reached directory assistance, known as 'Information'; 'by the early 1980s, 411 was being used as a slang term for just that—information—and usually in the phrase give me the 411 (on)'; early print evidence in Aretha Franklin's 1982 'Jump to It' lyrics ('givin' each other the 411'). Matches stored gloss, era (1980s) and era_note (telephone directory assistance) exactly.
Answer summary · this record in brief, from its own record text
Merriam-Webster word-history article 'The 411 on Words Meaning Information' (fetched in full): dialing 4-1-1 reached directory assistance, known as 'Information'; 'by the early 1980s, 411 was being used as a slang term for just that—information—and usually in the phrase give me the 411 (on)'; early print evidence in Aretha Franklin's 1982 'Jump to It' lyrics ('givin' each other the 411'). Matches stored gloss, era (1980s) and era_note (telephone directory assistance) exactly.
The record
- Also known as: the 411
- Work type: phrase
Sources
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-history-on-information-words/news (verification source · master store)
Evidence note (master store)
Merriam-Webster word-history article 'The 411 on Words Meaning Information' (fetched in full): dialing 4-1-1 reached directory assistance, known as 'Information'; 'by the early 1980s, 411 was being used as a slang term for just that—information—and usually in the phrase give me the 411 (on)'; early print evidence in Aretha Franklin's 1982 'Jump to It' lyrics ('givin' each other the 411'). Matches stored gloss, era (1980s) and era_note (telephone directory assistance) exactly.
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Record CTL-W-0253 · Combined Graph record U-00654 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 1 source.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.
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Chicago: CultureTechLens. “what's the 411 (CTL-W-0253).” CultureTechLens Combined Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-w-0253/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). what's the 411 (CTL-W-0253) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Combined Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-w-0253/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “what's the 411 (CTL-W-0253).” CultureTechLens Combined Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-w-0253/
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