antedating (?) "run of the mill" 1896

[Erik Hoover]

Re: "run of the mill", again in relation to lumber:

Google Books has an earlier use, 1876 according to the image of the
title page.

"Lumber is cheap.  Ten dollars per thousand is the price for inch
lumber, the run of the mill..."


Source:
"Report on the Ocoee and Hiwassee Mineral District" by Joseph Buckner
Killebrew, p.33

via Google Books


On Sep 23, 2007, at 8:08 AM, Stephen Goranson wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> Subject:      antedating (?) "run of the mill" 1896
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---------
>
> Economical Designing of Timber Trestle Bridges. By A. L. Johnson
> (Washington:
> U.S Dept. of Agriculture Div. of Forestry, 1896) page 39 [Google
> Books full text]:
> Lumber can be bought more cheaply by giving a general order for
> "the run of the
> mill for the season" or "a cargo lot," specifying approximate
> percentages of
> standard stringer size, of 12 by 12 inch stuff, 10 by 10 inch
> stuff, etc., and
> a liberal proportion of 3 or 4 inch plank, all lengths thrown in.
>
> Stephen Goranson
> http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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