[Ads-l] "to hell in a hand-barrow" interdating, 1831; was Re: New York Sunday Mercury

Mon Nov 16 22:28:00 UTC 2020

For anyone interested in why one might ride to hell on a hand-barrow, 
I've done some looking.  No earlier examples of the phrase, but close 
association between hand-barrows and death or dying.

There are numerous examples of hand-barrows being used to transport dead 
people, coffins, drunks picked up off the street, injured, maimed and 
invalids.  There are examples of them referred to as typical funeral 
parlor equipment. There is an ad for the liquidation of a funeral parlor 
in which they sell their hand-barrow.

Madame Pompadour's coffin was wheeled away on a hand-barrow - no 
information on where she was headed.

I can post some examples if people are interested.

------ Original Message ------
From: "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
To: ADS-L at listserv.uga.edu
Sent: 11/16/2020 7:04:37 AM
Subject: Re: "to hell in a hand-barrow" interdating, 1831; was Re: New 
York Sunday Mercury

>---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: "to hell in a hand-barrow" interdating, 1831; was Re: New
>               York Sunday Mercury
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Below is a possible precursor: "ride to Hell in a Wayn" where the word
>"Wayn" probably refers to a four-wheeled cart for hauling loads. The
>date is between 1639 and 1661.
>
>Title and date: Rump, or, An exact collection of the choycest poems
>and songs relating to the late times by the most eminent wits from
>anno 1639 to anno 1661.
>Author:  Alexander Brome (1620-1666)
>Section: RUMP SONGS. The Second Part.
>Song: Chipps of the Old Block; or, Hercules Cleansing the Augaean
>Stable. To the Tune of The Sword.
>
>http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A29621.0001.001
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>That Mine of Fraud Sir Arthur,
>His Soul for Lands will barter,
>And if you'd ride to Hell in a Wayn
>Hee's fit to make your Carter,
>[End excerpt]
>
>https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wain#English
>[Begin excerpt]
>wain (wayn)
>(archaic or literary) A wagon; a four-wheeled cart for hauling loads,
>usually pulled by horses or oxen.
>"The Hay Wain" is a famous painting by John Constable.
>[End excerpt]
>
>Garson
>
>
>On Mon, Nov 16, 2020 at 9:08 AM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
>>
>>  Let us treat the old frumps to a kick.
>>  And consign them to hell in a hand-barrow.
>>
>>  The Tattler. Monday Dec. 5, 1831, no. 392,  535/2
>>
>>  Stephen
>>  https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015036816596&view=1up&seq=541&q1=%22hell%20in%20a%20hand%22
>>
>>  ________________________________
>>  From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of dave at WILTON.NET <dave at WILTON.NET>
>>  Sent: Monday, November 16, 2020 8:16 AM
>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Subject: Re: New York Sunday Mercury
>>
>>  Thanks. There seems to be a huge gap in the coverage of this phrase.
>>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Stephen
>>  Goranson
>>  Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 9:05 AM
>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>  Subject: Re: [ADS-L] New York Sunday Mercury
>>
>>  Though I am not aware of a digital version, which indeed might give the
>>  quote from "On Whales and Little Fishes" reprinted, though "revised," in
>>  1841, Short Patent Sermons, Dow Jr. It may be worth noting that another
>>  serial periodical, The Weekly pacquet of advice from Rome, or, The history
>>  of popery. Henry Care, 1678-1680 was reprinted in 1682.
>>  The history of popery, or, Pacquet of advice from Rome :
>>  the fourth volume containing the lives of eighteen popes and the most
>>  remarkable occurrences in the church, for near one hundred and fifty years,
>>  viz. from the beginning of Wickliff's preaching, to the first appearance of
>>  Martin Luther, intermixt with several large polemical discourses, as whether
>>  the present Church of Rome be to be accounted a Church of Christ, whether
>>  any Protestant may be present at Mass and other important subjects :
>>  together with continued courants, or innocent reflections weekly on the
>>  distempers of the times.
>>  Henry Care, London 1682--which has been noted for this before.
>>  From page 215 at Early English Books Online:
>>  Damme, concludes the fourth man, that story of Godfrey's being Killed at
>>  Sommerset-house was all Bubble; why the Divel should the Papists meddle with
>>  him? the three poor fellows were meerly sworn out of their Lives, and so
>>  were all the rest; that noise of a Popish Plot was nothing in the world but
>>  an intrigue of the Whigs to destroy the Kings best Friends, and the Devil
>>  fetch me to Hell in a Hand basket, if I might have my will, there should not
>>  be one Fanatical Dog left alive in the three Kingdoms.
>>
>>  Stephen Goranson
>>  http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>>
>>  ________________________________
>>  From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>>  dave at WILTON.NET <dave at WILTON.NET>
>>  Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 8:18 AM
>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Subject: New York Sunday Mercury
>>
>>  Does anyone know if the New York Sunday Mercury has been digitized, and if
>>  so, where it might be found? I can't find it in any of the usual databases.
>>
>>  It's a rather important paper (the first to publish Mark Twain, the first to
>>  cover baseball), so I'm a bit surprised that I can't find it.
>>
>>  In particular, I suspect that it contains a pre-1841 antedating of "hell in
>>  a handbasket/handcart."
>>
>>  --Dave Wilton
>>
>>
>>  --
>>  This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>>  https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.avast.com/antivirus__;!!OToaGQ!5H2w0
>>  QnhFXIK604SzKZ7QnUvTPxji-X_KM1EKFkcSkSsxnflvC1pMsiX6vtkdWSH$
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society -
>>  https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!5H2w0Q
>>  nhFXIK604SzKZ7QnUvTPxji-X_KM1EKFkcSkSsxnflvC1pMsiX6kydxIrv$
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!6_deoafJIZgNauMoP0XdT77HutUHcqjT0OAcNw0kDovXMoDu4IBEwDOnYJkqG21F$
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.americandialect.org__;!!OToaGQ!6_deoafJIZgNauMoP0XdT77HutUHcqjT0OAcNw0kDovXMoDu4IBEwDOnYJkqG21F$
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org