"gadget" antedated (?) to 1884

[Stephen Goranson]

OED has 1886; "Origin obscure."

Amateur work, illustrated (London, New York, Ward, Lock & Co.), vol.4, 1884, page 148, col. 3, lines 9-13:

Grinding is tedious you say. So it is.  How shall we lighten it? _Eureka_! Get the secret accelerating "gadget."
Clap it on and presto!

For the context, see:

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101049993445;view=image;seq=162;q1=gadget;start=1;size=10;page=search;num=148

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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