Problemsome

[Fred Shapiro]

On Wed, 20 Nov 2002, Michael Quinion wrote:

> If it was Sen. Specter it would not be surprising. Of the 17
> examples I've turned up from newspapers going back to 1995, he is
> the direct quoted source of 11. It would be interesting to know
> whether he can be claimed to have coined it, or whether it is a
> well-known regionalism in the US.

In some quick checking the earliest I come up with is in a Massachusetts
legal case:

1979 _North Eastern Reporter, 2d Series_ 396: 157  Bane perceives it as a
"problemsome" but "common, everyday occurrence" requiring a pre-seizure
notice and hearing.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
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