Odd Question

[Barnhart]

_Believe you me_ appears in OEDs with dates of 1926, 1943, 1951, 1967,
none of which are quotations from Missouri.  And, _believe_ is not an
entry in either DARE or DA.  The first quote (1926) is from the Society
for Pure English Tracts.  The second is from the writing of E.M.
Delafield (Elizabeth M. Dashwood, an English author).  The OEDs
suggests, by listing it with _believe me_, that it is an extension from
_believe me_ (OEDs, 1646).

Regards,
David K. Barnhart, Editor
The Barnhart Dictionary Companion [quarterly]
barnhart at highlands.com
www.highlands.com/Lexik

"Necessity obliges us to neologize."
Thomas Jefferson-August 16, 1813