Butter and Egg Man (1891)

Sun Jan 23 15:55:59 UTC 2005

A "butter and egg man" literally means a farmer who raises cows and chickens.   Texas Guinan's usage was intentionally derisive, usually as "a big butter and egg man," i.e., an ignorant farmer or other non-urban rube visiting the bag bad city for the first time.

This nuance may not come through in HDAS I, done when I was ten years younger and dumber.

JL

Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Subject: Butter and Egg Man (1891)
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The FYI column in the City Section of the Sunday New York Times discusses a=
n=20
old, outdated term--"butter and egg man."
...
This was not coined by the George S. Kaufman play of 1925. It is said to =20
come from Texas Guinan in 1924.
...
Guinan probably very definitely influenced the slang use of "butter and egg=20=
=20
man," but the "butter and egg man" had been named that since at least the =20
1890s.
...
Also, the second citation in the HDAS ("1925 in DA: A couple of big butter =20
and egg men from Verona, New Jersey") should probably be 1926, not 1925. OED=
=20
has 1926 for it.
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(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
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_GENERAL BUSINESS TOPICS._=20
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3D0&did=3D321915612&SrchMode=3D1&sid=
=3D3&Fmt=3D10&VInst=3DPROD&VType=3DPQD&RQT=3D309&VName=3DHNP&TS=3D11064620
97&clientId=3D65882)=20
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File). Los Angeles, Calif.: Jun 22, 1895. p=
.=20
5 (1 page)=20
...
The butter and egg men will also insist on the return of their crates and =20
cases, or will charge for the same.
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_Display Ad 4 -- No Title_=20
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3D19&did=3D386538601&SrchMode=3D1&sid=
=3D3&Fmt=3D10&VInst=3DPROD&VType=3DPQD&RQT=3D309&VName=3DHNP&TS=3D1106462
319&clientId=3D65882)=20
Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1963). Chicago, Ill.: Jan 1, 1911. p. 6 (1 page=
)=20
...
Maybe you didn't look in the basement before you leased your flat. Maybe yo=
u=20
don't know or care anything about this heating subject. It means more to you=
=20
than your butter and egg man--a blamed sight more. (...)
KEWANEE BOILER COMPANY
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_BUTTER AND EGG MEN WILL QUIT SOUTH WATER STEET; BIG MARKET TO BE MOVED TO=20
THE NORTH SIDE Fruit and Vegetable Men May Locate on a Pier. _=20
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3D42&did=3D370222372&SrchMode=3D1&sid=
=3D3&Fmt=3D10&VInst=3DPROD&VTyp
e=3DPQD&RQT=3D309&VName=3DHNP&TS=3D1106462388&clientId=3D65882)=20
Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1963). Chicago, Ill.: Sep 21, 1919. p. A13 (1=20
page)=20
...
_FIGHT H. C. L.; Butter and Egg Men, Who Met Here to Try to Cut Prices. _=20
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3D43&did=3D370295012&SrchMode=3D1&sid=
=3D3&Fmt=3D10&VI
nst=3DPROD&VType=3DPQD&RQT=3D309&VName=3DHNP&TS=3D1106462388&clientId=3D6588=
2)=20
Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1963). Chicago, Ill.: Nov 4, 1919. p. 6 (1 page=
)=20
...
...
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(NEWSPAPERARCHIVE)
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_Lincoln Evening News _=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=3DW0CtXEq/mhWKID/6NLMW2vlfA=
IE1tu5eysOEjyS5uuLHrKB7KkA88kIF+CsZYmrz) Friday,=20
September 11, 1891 _Lincoln,_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dcity:lincoln+butter+an=
d+egg+man+AND) _Nebraska_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dstate:nebraska+butter+=
and+egg+man+AND) =20
...evanog. Rlcbardeotat the BUTTER AND EGG MAN from Eagle, attempted to =20
cross.....ind Injured about the legs, while his BUTTER jars AND their conte=
nts=20
were..
...

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_Bismarck Daily Tribune _=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=3DwSCs6S0EhDCKID/6NLMW2kq7k=
geRNpFFVdv51sRxqTd+C/D8AbE0ug=3D=3D) Friday, April=20
08, 1892 _Bismarck,_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dcity:bismarck+butter+a=
nd+egg+man+AND) _North Dakota_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dstate:north_dakota+but=
ter+and+egg+man+AND) =20
...to attend the national the BUTTER AND EGG MAN i meetmc of =20
railroad.....homes. B. ureaeer. orders at WANTED- A MAN of push AND energy=20=
to a branch..
...
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_Iowa Citizen _=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=3D/TuInQ3tu5uKID/6NLMW2gFwP=
6hU2tCe/5734+KWc+bJAadI/QMUOUIF+CsZYmrz) Friday, April 01,=20
1892 _Iowa City,_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dcity:iowa_city+butter+=
and+egg+man+AND) _Iowa_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dstate:iowa+butter+and+=
egg+man+AND) =20
...Gafford traveled for his a BUTTER-AND-EGG MAN at MAN- ning. His parents=
=20
are.....March Abner N. a young traveling MAN from shot AND killed Mabel=20
Stevens..
...
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_Lima Times Democrat _=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=3D9cbxNIiVHYuKID/6NLMW2ur2+=
NtA79WmuUFZbtE3ddzJP1nJbieLS0IF+CsZYmrz) Wednesday,=20
December 05, 1894 _Lima,_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dcity:lima+butter+and+e=
gg+man+AND) _Ohio_=20
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search=3Dstate:ohio+butter+and+=
egg+man+AND) ...them to memory. =20
The BUTTER AND EGG MAN is rarely ever known in a.....known in our town for=20
years. It is a MAN affairs who is spoken of AND..
......
...
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(OED)
butter-and-egg man U.S. slang, a wealthy, unsophisticated man who spends=20
money freely;
1776 _WITHERING_ (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-w3.html#withering=
)=20
Bot. Arrangem. (1796) III. 552 Toadflax, Snap dragon, *Butter and Eggs.=20
1880 _JEFFERIES_ (http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-j.html#jefferies)=20=
Gt.=20
Estate 83 In shady woodlands the toadflax or butter-and-eggs is often=20
pale,a sulphur colour. 1926 _H. C. WITWER_=20
(http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-w3.html#h-c-witwer) Roughly Speak=
ing 229 A couple of big *butter and egg=20
men from Verona, New Jersey. 1927 Daily Express 31 Aug. 8/7 =E2=80=98Butter=20=
and egg man
=E2=80=99 is an American slang expression practically equal to our term =20=
=E2=80=98greenhorn=E2=80=99
, that is, a man of money who spends lavishly and is an easy prey of the=20
gold-digger and other unscrupulous persons. 1948 Antioch Rev. Spring 105 The=
=E2=80=98
butter-and-egg=E2=80=99 man who startles the foreign lecturer with blunt qu=
estions.

=20
...
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(NYPL CATNYP)
Title Roughly speaking, by H.C. Witwer. Imprint New York, London, G.P.=
=20
Putnam's Sons, 1926.

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