"jew" as adjective and compound nouns vs. adj. + n.?

[Joel S. Berson]

Is "Jew butcher" a compound -- "a butcher of Jews"?? -- or an adj. +
noun -- "a Jewish butcher"?  (Compare "Jew-drowning" under C2, which
I do see as a compound -- it can't be "Jewish drowning".)  Similarly
for "Jew pedlar", and probably others.  The OED seems either to
concede or be uncertain -- "C1. General attrib. *or as adj.* That is
a Jew; *Jewish*."  (Emphasis added.)

Is there a case for separation of the C1.a compounds, for all of
which it seems that "Jew" acts like an adjective and could be
replaced by "Jewish", from the C1.b. compounds, where that is not the
case?  E.g., a "Jew bill" (in C1.b) is not "a Jewish bill", but
rather "a bill 'Of or relating to Jews.' "

But if Larry is right, how then would one make the OED more
user-friendly?  If sophisticated dictionary users like myself and
George don't think to look for adjectival uses of nouns under (the
late-appearing) "Compounds", -- and especially when a "Quick search"
doesn't turn up any entries with "adj." characterizing them, just
"n." and "v." -- what about the ordinary yahoo?

Joel

At 5/14/2013 11:52 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>I would defend the label.  These are indeed, I would argue, nominal
>compounds rather than adjective + noun phrases.  "Jew" in such cases
>doesn't pass the diagnostics for adjective-hood:
>
>That lawyer seems {Jewish/*Jew}.
>Despite Brendan's proselytizing, Moises remained {Jewish/*Jew}.
>It's very kosher/Jewish/*Jew
>
>etc.
>
>LH
>
>
>
>On May 14, 2013, at 11:36 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>
> > George, look way down under "Jew, n." for "Compounds" -- C1 is
> > "General attrib. or as adj."  I've missed this disguised and low (on
> > the page) artifice of the OED before, for this and other nouns.  I
> > think the heading in such cases should be "n. and adj.".
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 5/14/2013 10:37 AM, George Thompson wrote:
> >> Seems strange, but such is the case, if the on-line OED doesn't
> mislead me.
> >>
> >>            JEW BEEF. -- The subscribers offer their services to merchants
> >> who are in the habit of trading to the West Indies, that in order to
> >> complete a well assorted cargo for those markets, it will prove to be an
> >> acquisition to apply to them for the above article; they are in 5 or 10
> >> gallon kegs.  ***  Levy & Lyons, 26, White-hall street. N. B.  Regular
> >> certificates will be given.
> >>            Mercantile Advertiser, November 1, 1804, p. 2, col. 2
> >>
> >> HDAS and Jonathon Green's dictionary have "jew" as a disparaging
> adjective,
> >> which isn't the case here.  Their examples are generally in the form of "a
> >> Jew xyz" which translates into "a Jew who is an xyz" -- a Jew lawyer,
> >> perhaps.  Here, it meant "kosher", and the ad was placed by a Jewish firm.
> >>
> >> GAT
> >>
> >> --
> >> George A. Thompson
> >> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> >> Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much since then
> >>
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> >
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>
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