Hoodlum (1872); Jelly Bean (1898); Free Lunch (1851)

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HOODLUM

   An article in the BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, 12 August 1872, pg. 3, is
"HOODLUMS: Familiar Characters With New Names."  The article, taken from the
ALTA CALIFORNIAN, claims that that newspaper coined the term "a year and a
half ago."

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JELLY BEAN

   This is a year earlier than I'd posted, if I know my beans.
   In the BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, 1 April 1898, pg. 14, "Jelly Beans" is the
name of a dog.  "Jelly Beans" is listed for sale with other candies in an ad
on 2 October 1898, pg. 13.

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FREE LUNCH

   The DICTIONARY OF AMERICANISMS has 1854.


   28 October 1951, BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, pg. 2 ad:
   ...CHARLEY FISDECK, corner of Myrtyle avenue and Duffie'd street.  He has
all the newspapers, serves up a FREE LUNCH every day, keeps good oysters and
the most superior drinkables in the State of Long Island.

   20 July 1889, BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, pg. 3:
_FREE LUNCH._
_The Evolution of a Popular Repast._
(...)
   When the custom of serving free lunches in barrooms was first instituted
is not definitely known, as the entire library is silent on this point.  The
best information that can be obtained, however, on its introduction in
Boston, was pumped out of a gray haired bartender, who is widely known
throughout the trade in this city.  Said he: "The first thing of the kind
that I remember, and my memory runs back nearly forty years, was started by a
man named Stinson, who kept a place on Congress Street, near State.  His bill
of fare consisted of hashed fish, and, by the way, it was the finest hash I
ever ate, pork scraps, beans and soup.  He did an immense business when he
first put the sceme into operation.  He had many imitators later on, and
finally all the barrooms in the city vied with each other in the excellence
of their gratuitous lunches." (...)

(I've now narrowed down the "free lunch" origin to Boston, San Francisco, New
Orleans, and Baltimore--ed.)