benny?

[Mullins, Bill]

Not an antedate, but an example (sorry, Jesse) . . .

>From a classified ad:
Illinois | Chicago | Daily Herald | 1992-02-12 p. C-2 col 6.
"Client offers good bennies & salary to $20,000."

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Rachel Shuttlesworth
> Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 3:05 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: benny?
>
>
>  From a story in the Chicago Tribune, located at
> http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0506150258ju
> n15,1,6069459.story?page=2
>
>   "We don't really talk about healthy anywhere in our restaurant,"
> Hirshberg said. "That's very intentional. Not because it
> isn't. We want them to enjoy the food for the food, and then
> to feel that health is a benny."
>
> I can find "benny" in the OED meaning overcoat and
> Benzedrine. Trying to find other examples of this usage
> online brings up Benny's Hinn, Hill, Goodman, etc. I found
> one case of British slang where "benny" is defined as losing
> one's temper
> (http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/fullmonty/def/benny.htm).
> What is its meaning above? Is it being used to mean "added
> benefit" or something else?
>
>