"Brass tacks" (1876) and etymological evidence

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

Hmmm. Very interesting. "Brass tacks" is supposed to be rhyming slang for "facts"; hence "get down to brass tacks."  But then why do the dictionaries say that this expression started in the U.S.? Why not in the speech of Cockneys?

Also, Doug provides good antedatings. (HDAS has 1895 for the earliest attestation.)

Gerald Cohen

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> From:         American Dialect Society on behalf of Douglas G. Wilson
> Subject:           "Brass tacks" (1876) and etymological evidence
>
> Here are the earliest instances of "brass tacks" ('non-literal') which I've
> found:
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> _Atlanta Constitution_, 5 April 1876: p. 1:
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> <<The grand jury of the United States court was kept down to brass tacks yesterday, and from all accounts got in a full day's work.>>
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> _Atlanta Constitution_, 13 June 1876: p. 2:
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> <<WHAT do the "circulaire" folks mean by such expressions as "fairly nominated," "properly tendered" and "a fair deal?" Do they mean to bolt if thei[r] man is not the chosen one? Co[me] now, this is a better time to get down to brass tacks than after the convention.>>
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> Here is an early example of "brass tacks" used in a simile. If this simile was appropriate, presumably a corresponding metaphor was also possible, with "brass tacks" standing for "exactitudes" or so. This would lend support to the theory that the original reference was to tacks used in measuring yard goods.
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> _Atchison Globe_ (Atchison KS), 3 May 1883 [at N'archive: date not on page but contents compatible with date]: p. 3(?):
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> <<That temperance is to be suspected which leaves the head and heart at last formal and exact, like two brass tacks in a dry goods store counter, between which everything is measured off in yards, and often scant yards,
> too.>>
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> As is often the case, this item (or even many other similar ones, should they be found) may not be fully conclusive, since 'reanalyses' and 'folk
> etymologies' spring up like mushrooms sometimes. Still ....
>
> -- Doug Wilson
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