"rookie" from "recruit"

[Jonathan Lighter]

The original cite really is from 1868 -  _Colburn's United Service Magazine_
(London) (May, 1868), p. 87.

JL



On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 9:00 AM, Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "rookie" from "recruit"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 08:49:07AM -0400, Stephen Goranson wrote:
> > OED: rookie slang. [Orig uncertain; perh. corruption of recruit n.] OED's
> earliest quotation is from 1892.
> >
> > December, 1891 {Google Books 1868 date mistaken], new series vol. LIV,
> page 87
> > The Eclectic magazine of foreign literature, science, and art
> >
>
> Thanks. Our revised draft entry, which I assume will appear in
> the next update, has an earliest quote of 1883.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
> OED
>
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