Siamese Connection (1879, 1884); Underdog (1884)

[Jonathan Lighter]

Trivia from inside my head :

Major Charles G. Halpine was an Irish-American Civil War officer best known during his Fifteen Minutes of Fame as "Private Miles O'Reilley," the lyricist behind the minstrel smash, "Sambo's Right to be Kilt."

"O'Reilley" favored the use of African-American troops in combat - then a wild-eyed liberal position - because by providing more targets, they'd save the lives of some white guys.

The past *is* a different country.  It's weird there.

JL



Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
Subject: Re: Siamese Connection (1879, 1884); Underdog (1884)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Thu, 19 May 2005 15:13:37 -0400, Fred Shapiro
wrote:

>1859 David Barker [is that name for real?] [poem entitled "The Under Dog
>in the Fight"] in _Liberator_ 28 Oct. 172 [American Periodical Series]
>But for _me_ -- and I care not a single fig If they say I am wrong or
>right -- I shall always go in for the _weaker_ dog, For the under dog in
>the fight.

An early hyphenated example, via Literature Online:

1866 C. G. HALPINE _Baked Meats of the Funeral_ 331 Always with a tendency
to side with the "under-dog" in every fight.

http://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/chad-pt/pageturner.pl?id=eaf563T&image=563-344.jpg
(page image requires subscription to Chadwyck-Healey)


--Ben Zimmer


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