Antedating of "grass widow/widower" 1843/1856

Sam Clements SClements at NEO.RR.COM
Fri Mar 19 19:20:39 UTC 2004


OED has 1846 for "grass widow"

18 Nov. 1843 _Norwalk(OH) Experiment_   1/5(Newspaperarchive)
(perhaps reprinted from _Chicago Democrat_)

<<A charming young grass widow came into our office, one day last week, and
repeated to us a long story of matrimonial suffering, and the chief of which
was that the husband she tenderly loved did not stay at home, but kept
wandering about the country, and did not take her with him.>>

OED and M-W have 1862 for the male equivalent, "grass widower."

6 Oct. 1856 NY Times(Proquest) pg 3

<<The Californians generally are either bachelors or "grass widowers," and
it quite fair to deprive them of some of their rights since they so cheaply
relinquish so many others.  A man who has a wife is entitled to more votes
than three bachelors.>>

Sam Clements



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