Well, that was the date it was announced on the front page of OED's
in-house newsletter (The Periodical).
Official publication day was 19 April.
---
In June of that year, a celebratory dinner was held Goldsmiths' Hall,
London. (It was broadcast live by the BBC.) The Prime Minister spoke to
150 diners, including the co-editors Craigie and Onions, and assorted
other dictionary people, academics (J.R.R.Tolkien and Franz Boas were
there) and the like. All men.
Three women were present, by invitation, (one reader and two editorial
assistants), but seated in the balcony -- house rules, apparently.

"Agnes Carswell Fries, who was invited because her husband Charles* was
editor of the _Early Modern English Dictionary_, was having none of it.
'I was told that the women would be "skied" if they wished to come. It
was explained to me that being "skied" meant that women could sit in the
balcony above the hall and watch the men eat. I felt insulted and
refused to go under those circumstances.'"

*Yes, this is the same Charles Carpenter Fries (1887-1967), who is
better known to me as a mid-century American structuralist and innovator
in language-teaching methods.

The above is from Sarah Ogilvie's _The Dictionary People_ (Chatto &
Windus, 2023), a very enjoyable book which OED fans will want to read.

Ogilvie concludes with: "Funnily enough, the word 'skied' is not in the
OED." !!!? Either they got to work very fast after they read that, or
she just missed it. OED has "sky (v)" with quite a few specific senses
referring to throwing something in the air or placing it up high. The
1928 usage is:

5. (1864–) transitive. To hang (a picture) high on a wall or near the
ceiling, esp. at an exhibition. Also in extended use: to place in a
remote or undesirable position. Usually in passive. Now chiefly historical.

For the "extended use", an 1884 citation is particularly close:

"The members of the press are regarded as unwelcome intruders and are
shamefully 'skied'." (Pall Mall Gazette 3 October 3/1)

Ar an cúigiú lá déag de mí Feabhra, scríobh Ross Clark:

> [...] In June of [1928], a celebratory dinner was held Goldsmiths' Hall,
> London. (It was broadcast live by the BBC.) The Prime Minister spoke to 150
> diners, including the co-editors Craigie and Onions, and assorted other
> dictionary people, academics (J.R.R.Tolkien and Franz Boas were there) and
> the like.

Ignoring the androcentric aspect of the gathering, isn’t that amazing? That the
completion of a *dictionary* would be *broadcast live* by the national
broadcaster, and that the PM of one of the more powerful countries in the world
would address the dinner? Unlikely to happen now!

--
‘As I sat looking up at the Guinness ad, I could never figure out /
How your man stayed up on the surfboard after fourteen pints of stout’
(C. Moore)