play malaprops

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 6/6/07, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> It's even in the OED now, under sense 4 of "nasturtium" (first cite
> from _Ulysses_).
>
> 4. humorous. _to cast nasturtiums on_ (also _at_): = to cast
> aspersions upon s.v. ASPERSION n. 5.
> 1922 J. JOYCE Ulysses 307 Don't cast your nasturtiums on my character.
[...]

Now antedatable with the help of Google Book Search...

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1916 W.L. George _The Strangers' Wedding_ 112  All right, 'Erb, I
don't want to cast any nasturtiums on you!
http://books.google.com/books?id=Qs8OAAAAIAAJ
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--Ben Zimmer

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