"Keep your eye peeled" slight antedating (1848) "keep your eyes skinned" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Jonathan Lighter]

You can keep your ears skinned too:

1959 David Piper _Trial By Battle_ (N.Y.: Chilmark, 1965) 127: And you must
keep your eyes and ears skinned for tanks.

Sir David (1918-1991) served in the British Indian Army during WWII. He was
later first Director of the Ashmolean Museum.

JL

On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 9:34 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC <
Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: "Keep your eye peeled" slight antedating (1848) "keep
> your
>              eyes              skinned" (UNCLASSIFIED)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> > Behalf Of Garson O'Toole
> > Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 4:56 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: "Keep your eye peeled" slight antedating (1848) "keep your
> > eyes skinned" (1831)
> >
> >
> > (OED DRAFT REVISION Sept. 2009) peeled, adj. b. orig. U.S. colloq. to
> > keep one's eyes peeled and variants: to remain alert, be on the
> > lookout; to watch carefully for.
> >
> > OED cite is 1852. This can be antedated to 1848.
> >
> > Citation: 1848, March, "The Cruise of the Gentile" by Frank Byrne,
> > Graham's Magazine, page 136, No. 3, Vol. 32, Philadelphia.
> >
> > "'We take no note of time,'" spouted the third mate, drawing his watch
> > from his pocket. "For'ard, there! strike four bells, and relieve the
> > wheel. Keep your eye peeled, look out; and mind, no caulking."
> >
> >
> http://books.google.com/books?id=ZZ7PAAAAMAAJ&q=eye+peeled#v=snippet&q=
> > %22eye%20peeled%22&f=false
> >
>
> The Daily Atlas, (Boston, MA) Friday, August 02, 1844; Issue 28; col C
> "The Whigs of Hampden must keep their eyes 'peeled,' or they'll lose
> that banner."
>
>
>
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
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