lunatic fringe

[Victor Steinbok]

Fred Shapiro wrote:
> I posted to this list about the hair-related prehistory of "lunatic fringe" in 2006:
>
I should have known! ;-)

I am not sorry for having done the research the second time... but I
really should make it a regular practice to check the ADS-L archives.
The conclusion, alas, remains the same, for now, and the first cited use
is 1874.

What is particularly intriguing is that not one dictionary that I've
checked--on-line and in print--including some from the 1920s--has the
entry. The only dictionary-like publication that I found that does have
it is the one I included (1908). The earliest dictionary I have in my
possession is a 1913 Webster's (I'll get a precise citation if it
becomes necessary).

And, as Ben Zimmer found, what was Google-labeled "Volume 16" of
Everybody's Magazine turned out to be Volume 34, nine years
later--apparently, the Harvard and Berkeley copies were entered
correctly, while the Michigan copy was not. So, no, Roosevelt's
"coinage" does not get pushed back to 1907 or earlier. Oh, well!

On the positive side, the piece seems quite useful--*someone has already
done the research on Roosevelt's "coinages"*. Not extensive research,
mind you, but one with several solid pointers. It seems that several
urban legends and etymological myths (like the "lunatic fringe") may
have to be re-written.

I'll still claim vanity credit for 1) the UK citation of 1878, 2) the
Men's Wear dictionary of 1908, and 3) the criticism of Roosevelt's
"coinages" from 190... er... 1916. ;-) Not that I actually care--I am
just interested in finding things, not in taking credit for finds,
particularly of limited usefulness.

Still hoping for pre-1874 newspaper citations (apparently, particularly
from New York) and pre-1913 Roosevelt citations (when was that Art
Gallery speech given?).

    VS-)

Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 1:04 PM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>
>> One entry is interesting because it appears to deconstruct Roosevelt's
>> usage. Unfortunately, Google only has a snippet. The reference is from
>> Vol. 16 (claimed 1907, p. 271) of Everybody's Magazine.
>>
>>
>>> "Mollycoddle"? "Undesirable Citizen"? "Malefactors of Great Wealth"?
>>> "Race Suicide"? "The Strenuous Life"? "Speak Softly and Carry a Big
>>> Stick"? "Lunatic Fringe"? "Outpatients of Bedlam"? "Byzantine
>>> Logothete"? Not a phrase-maker? He is a the greatest phrase-maker in
>>> our history.
>>> Well, Colonel Rooselvelt, we repeat, is /not/ a phrase-/maker/. He is
>>> a picker-up of ...
>>>
>> Unfortunately, the rest is missing. It seems to be a useful clue. I may
>> try to sneak into Harvard to check out their copy later this week,
>> unless someone beats me to it. The magazine was published from 1899 to
>> 1923, with the last listed volume being 48, so the numbers appear to fit.
>>
>
> I have no trouble reading this article in its entirety at either of these links:
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=0OgtAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA271
> http://books.google.com/books?id=oW8XAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA271
>
> Issue appears to be from Feb. 1916 (Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 147-276).
>

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