[Ads-l] picker

Amy West medievalist at W-STS.COM
Sun Oct 28 14:15:30 UTC 2018


On 10/27/18 00:00, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> Date:    Fri, 26 Oct 2018 16:04:29 -0400
> From:    ADSGarson O'Toole<adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: picker
>
> Here is a "picker" in 1928. The term is enclosed in quotation marks,
> but this "picker" seems to be acquiring antiques for personal use
> instead of resale.

In my personal lexicon, picking -- or garbage/trash/refuse picking -- 
does not have to be finding discarded stuff for resale. In fact, picking 
for personal use is the primary sense to me. "Dumpster diving" is a 
later synonym for me. As an impoverished kid/college student, I engaged 
in garbage picking -- oh, look at that box of musty-smelling old books 
on the curb. Must take home!

---Amy West


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