cornelian; was Antedating of "Chauvinism"

[Chris Waigl]

James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM> asks:

>    >>>>>
>
>What does "cornelian" mean here?  My dictionaries only
>indicate it is an alternative spelling of "carnelian",
>a gemstone or the color of that gemstone.
>
>--- Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>
>
>
>>chauvinism (OED 1870)
>>
>>1851 _International Magazine of Literature, Science and Art_ 1 June 373
>>ff. (American Periodical Series)  Never did the _chauvinism_ of this
>>present time light upon a more cornelian device, but do you not see in it
>>the theatrical affectation, the melo-dramatic emphasis of another race?
>>
>>
I'd guess "related to and pertaining to the literary devices employed by
the playwright Pierre Corneille".

Chris Waigl

--
blog:      http://serendipity.lascribe.net/
eggcorns:  http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/