Thanks to lexicographers

[Rudolph C Troike]

Thanks to Jesse and Joanne for enlightening us all on how they make use of
Barry's valuable contributions. I am wondering yet, given the highly
condensed citations in the OED, whether a reader finding a citation for
"Rathskeller" in a travel account from Germany pre-dating the earliest US
citation, would readily be able to discriminate which was a genuine
reflection of native English usage. Would editorial space be given to
clarify this, or would the reader have to check on the full title of the
work and guess at this conclusion? Where short titles are used, and in the
even more compressed context of other dictionaries, this distinction might
be blurred for the average user (such as my students).
        Thanks again for the informative responses,

        Rudy