Lemon

[James A. Landau]

A possible early use of "lemon" in the sense of "a bad deal" or "a bad
purchase":

the writer is commenting on the names of train stations observed during a
train trip to Columbia, Pennsylvania
<begin quote>
there was "Lemon place," suggestive to soured passengers of a collision
squeeze;
<end quote>

The United States illustrated; in views of city and country. With descriptive
and historical articles, ed. by Charles A. Dana.
Dana, Charles A. (Charles Anderson), 1819-1897. ed.
2 v. plates. 31 cm.
New York,
H. J. Meyer
[1853?]

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=moa;cc=
moa;sid=048c97ef8e6146a55df3f2c5316570ad;q1=synthetic%20geometr%2A;rgn=
full%20text;idno=AFL5137.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000229


              - James A. Landau