Bloomin' Onion; Friendly Confines; British vs. American

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

BLOOMIN'ONION:  USPTO records show that the Outback--of Florida, USA--had a first use of this from 15 March 1988.  "Bloomin' Onion Buds" was firs used 17 June 2000 by Outback.  There are no other "Bloomin' Onion" trademarks registered.

FRIENDLY CONFINES--My guess is that, while Ernie Banks certainly used the phrase, it was coined by legendary Chicago Cubs announcer Jack Brickhouse.  I'd recorded some Brickhouse phrases in the old archives.  I'll go through his 1986 book, THANKS FOR LISTENING, today.  The Chicago Cubs registered a trademark for "Friendly Confines"--a restaurant--used from April 1983.

POPICK--The Wall Street Journal didn't publish my letter to the editor that I'm Barry "Popik."  I guess they didn't believe me.

BRITISH VS. AMERICAN:  Curtus Guild wrote TRAVELS IN FOREIGN LANDS and OVER THE OCEAN and ABROAD AGAIN.  He was sort of an 1880s Bill Bryson.  I don't know what to cite, but David Shulman found this list interesting:

BRITONS AND MUSCOVITES
OR TRAITS OF TWO EMPIRES
by Curtis Guild
Boston: Lee and Shepard
1888

Pg. 36:
_American._             _English._
Immediately.............Directly.
Right Away
Baggage.................Luggage.
(Pg. 37--ed.)
Trunk...................Box.
Ticket-office...........Booking office.
Ticketed................Booked.
Elevator................Lift.
Conductor...............Guard.
Driver..................Coachman.
Engineer (locomotive)...Driver.
Fireman.................Stoker.
Switched................Shunted.
Cars....................Coaches.
Railroad................The line.
Rails...................Metals.
Horse-railroad..........Tramway.
Policeman...............Bobby.
Boy.....................Lad.
Cane....................Stick.
Uncomfortable...........Beastly.
Unpleasant
Sick....................Ill.
Twenty-five.............Five-and-twenty.
Excuse me...............Beg yer pardon.
A drink.................A "go."
Overcoat................Topcoat.
Suspenders..............Braces.
Overshoes...............Goloshes.
Molasses................Treacle.
Pastry..................Sweets.
Candy...................Sweetstuff.
Powdered sugar..........Castor sugar.
Rare....................Underdone.
   The popular idea of American drinks in London as paraded on programmes at some of the hotel and public bars seems to have been derived from the Western stories of Davy Crockett's time or the dime novel series of cow-boys and mining life.  Perhaps the author has not been in the right locality in America, but certainly, in a pretty extensive series of rambles in his own country he has failed to find such titles for mixed drinks as Pick-me-up: Corpse Reviver, Buckshot, Bull's Eye Hitter, Lay me out, Cock of the (Pg. 38--ed.) Walk, Cowboy's Delight, Lightning Swizzle, Sherry Slap Up, Whiskey wake'em up.
(...)
   "Bring us two sherry chickens."
   "Beg yer pardon, sir; we 'aven't any chicken, sir; would you 'ave a 'am sandwich?"
   "Ham sandwich!  No, I want nothing to eat!  It's to drink--a couple of sherry chickens."
   "Beg yer pardon, sir--muse 'ave yer joke--but drinkin' chickens, yer know--can't _drink_ chickens!"
   "Look here, what are you talking about?  Don't you keep American drinks here?"
   "Yessir, certainly, sir."
   "Well, sherry chicken is an American drink; go and get a couple of 'em--do you hear?"
(...)(Pg. 39--ed.)
   The materials were brought, the yolks of two eggs dropped into two glasses of sherry, then thoroughly shaken together in the usual long glass used for that purpose, turned into clear glasses, and a dash of brown nutmeg thrown upon the foaming crest of the contents of each glass.
   "There, sir, that's an American drink; that's a sherry chicken, and don't you forget it."