"lead-pipe cinch" (antedating to 1888 July 29)

[Jonathan Lighter]

As HDAS 3 would have shown, "pipe" all by itself was once a common U.S. syn.
for "cinch."

But why a "lead pipe"?

Conceivably because a "lead" pipe is even more substantial than a plain
"pipe."

But then why a "pipe" at all?

Presumably, "cinch" was inspired by "have a cinch on something," i.e., have
a tight band on it, hence complete control, a "cinch" becoming both a
certainty and a snap.

JL


On Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 7:48 AM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      "lead-pipe cinch" (antedating to 1888 July 29)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Thanks to Stephen Goranson for a great cite. He is another cite a
> couple months earlier.
>
> Cite: 1888 July 29, Boston Sunday Globe, Page 6, Column 2, Boston,
> Massachusetts.  (NewspaperArchive)
>
> They considered Lucky Baldwin's great filly Los Angeles a "lead pipe
> cinch," and put their money on at any odds.
>
>
> There is also a match in the Elkhart (Daily) Review dated 1887 January
> 02 in GenealogyBank. However, this is an incorrect date. The date of
> the newspaper is really 1897 January 02. The article uses "pipe cinch"
> instead of "lead-pipe cinch" so I have included it below:
>
> Cite: 1897 January 02, The Elkhart (Daily) Review, Monkeys as Fly
> Catchers, Page 1, Column 2, Elkhart, Indiana. (GenealogyBank)
>
> "He only uses two fingers, but the fly is caught. It is a pipe cinch
> that the monkeys catch nine out of ten flies they reach for and don't
> seem to try to when they do it."--New Orleans Times-Democrat
>
> Garson
>
> On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 6:43 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> > Subject:      "lead-pipe cinch" antedated to 1888
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > New-York tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, October 04, 1888, Image 4
>  p.4 col. 1
> > BLUE WING DOWN AGAIN.
> > EASILY BEATEN BY....
> > ....In his third race, when intrusted with thousands of dollars by his
> stable and the public
> > and looked upon as a "lead-pipe cinch" of the best manufacture, tested
> and warranted in every manner,
> > his dickey leg gives way and the faithful are left to mourn.
> >
> > Stephen Goranson
> > http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
> >
> >
> http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1888-10-04/ed-1/seq-4/;words=pipe+cinch+lead
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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