"to bilk" with object not a person

[Jonathan Lighter]

I'd tweak the def. to include "to evade paying (for)." One cannot deduce
Fielding's usage from the def. as currently framed.

JL

On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 7:37 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "to bilk" with object not a person
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> OK. so the Fielding is not new.  (I happened upon it while doing
> something else, and did not do any further searching.)  So what's
> left is -- is the trans. sense with object not a person interesting?
>
> Joel
>
> At 9/28/2010 04:52 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> >In Tom Jones (Fielding) there is the following passage:
> >
> >"And do you intend to make a secret of your going away?" said Jones. "I
> >promise you," answered Nightingale, "I don't intend to bilk my
> >lodgings; but I have a private reason for not taking a formal leave."
> >
> >{Gutenberg.]
> >
> >This seems most close to OED2's:
> >
> >  3. To 'do (a person) out' of (his due); to cheat, defraud; to evade
> >payment of (a debt).
> >      1672 LOCKE in Fox Bourne Life I. v. 268 A man that had bilked
> >one of the most considerable men of the place.
> >
> >Fielding has personified the "lodgings".   Is this new or interesting
> >enough to record?
> >
> >Joel
> >
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