Q: Selling the skin before the bear was caught
Joel S. Berson
Berson at ATT.NET
Wed Aug 20 18:42:56 UTC 2008
Thanks [off-list]. Now I'll know where to look when it won't be in
the excellent Yale Book of Quotations.
Joel
At 8/20/2008 01:47 PM, Charles Doyle wrote:
>B. J. Whiting's _Early American Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings_
>gives examples that are dated 1748 and 1750 (#B81).
>
>--Charlie
>_____________________________________________________________
>
>---- Original message ----
> >Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:47:49 -0400
> >From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >Subject: Q: Selling the skin before the bear was caught
> >
> >I am interested in the earliest appearance in English of the
> >expression "selling the skin before the bear was caught". Google
> Books tells me it's in Grose's _Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue_ in
> 1785, and that's my only hit for 1500-1785. I may be able to turn
> up a use from 1767.
> >
> >Joel
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
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