Q: Selling the skin before the bear was caught

[Joel S. Berson]

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
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org