Antedating of "Poker" (Card Game)

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:48 PM -0500 1/1/11, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>poker, n.4 (OED 1836)
>
>1832 _The Globe_ (Washington, D.C.) 3 Sept. 2/5 (19th Century U.S.
>Newspapers)  Who is notorious for his skill and dexterity at _Lieu_,
>_poker_ and _Kentucky Brag?_ ... _Centre County (Pa.) Democrat._
>
>Fred Shapiro
>
Nice to know; and it looks like the readers would be expected to know
what poker is, so it can probably be pushed back further.  Speaking
of "Lieu", I don't know the eponymous card game, but I just heard a
radio sports talk host refer to considering something "in lieu of"
something else, where the intended meaning was clearly "in light of".
Not exactly an eggcorn, more of a malapropism, and probably not
unique to him--maybe the thought is that "lieu" is French for "light".

LH

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