Slang Word-Coiners (Mike Walsh: shyster)

[Fred Shapiro]

On Sat, 30 Mar 2002, Gerald Cohen wrote:

>    Now, for the next slang word-coiner item: "shyster," coined by Mike
> Walsh, editor of the 1840's NYC newspaper _The Subterranean_

I read through your fascinating book some years ago, and commend it to all
students of slang.  But wasn't "shyster" used by someone else and then
picked up by Walsh?  I did ask in my original query for people who were
coiners or popularizers of important slang terms, but I just want to
clarify which it is: did Walsh coin "shyster" or popularize it?

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Public Services     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  and Lecturer in Legal Research            Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
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