antedating reinikaboo (1898)

Fri Sep 28 15:55:15 UTC 2007

On Fri, Sep 28, 2007 at 11:44:57AM -0400, Stephen Goranson wrote:
> OED rannygazoo Chiefly U.S. dial. or slang. [Origin unknown.]
>    A prank, trick; horseplay, ?nonsense?. (See also quots. 1901, 1940
> 1901 Reinikaboo
>
> DARE ranikaboo n...a deceptive story or scheme; a prank, racket, or scam
> [1893 Rally-kaboo] 1901 Reinikaboo
>
> The Reinikaboo (News)      The Denver Evening Post (Denver, CO)
> Tuesday, January
> 04, 1898; pg. 4; col D [19th C Newspapers]

[etc.]

Proquest returns an 1896 example from A.H. Lewis in the Washington
Post; this is the earliest quote we have right now.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED

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