"hard (cider)" 1786 antedates OED2 1789-

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:35 PM -0400 10/26/07, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>Take a six quart jug of old hard cider, put therein a pint of country
>mustard seed, one double handful of parsley roots, one double handful
>of lignum vitae shavings, add one double handful of horseradish
>roots; let them simmer together over a slow fire 48 hours, when it
>will be fit for use.
>[From the Albany Gazette.  FYI, a medicine for the cure of the Dropsy.]
>
>3/2
>"hard" (a)
>antedates OED2 sense 14.c 1789-
>
>Vermont Journal, 1786
>25 April
>Early American Newspapers
>
I don't know.  Both hard and moist; I think this drink is just too
off-color for the current age.

LH

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org