counterfeiter's slang again

[Jonathon Green]

> The earliest the OED has for "to shove the queer" is from 1847, from
> Matsell's dictionary of criminal slang.  Matsell had been chief of
> police in NYC.  Mike Walsh once called him "a deeply depraved lump of
> animated blubber".

With respect to GAT, Matsell is 1859 and cited as such in OED. As to his
size, it was c. 300 lbs and he was also known as 'a beastly, bloated
booby.'  (speaker unknown, but cited in J. Richardson, _The NY Police_
[1970]). I cannot predate him, but one can note:

1753 John Poulter _Discoveries_ (1774) 42: I am passing quare Blunt;
_putting off bad Money_.

Jonathon Green