"chicken-livered" antedatings, and "turn chicken"

[victor steinbok]

I just noticed that the search limit was set between 1900 and 1916, not
before 1916. So there may be more prior to 1900. But I have not checked yet.

VS-)

On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 10:11 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:

>
> Since we are doing livers, here's another one. Note that the OED does not
> even attempt to offer a definition--if it did, some editor would have
> noticed that this one does not belong among the "yellow-crested", "beaked",
> "footed", etc.
>
> Yellow adj. C2. combinations
>
> >  b. Parasynthetic and instrumental combs. (many of which are used in the
> > names of species or varieties of animals or plants). Also yellow-haired
> a=
> dj.
>
> yellow-livered adj.
>
> > 1935    S. Lewis It can't happen Here xv. 156   The meanest, lowest,
> > cowardliest gang of yellow-livered, back-slapping, hypocritical
> gun-toter=
> s.
> > 1979    PN Rev. No. 9. 27/1   O green, green eating out my eyes, A
> > yellow-livered green in a wet light.
>
>
>
> http://goo.gl/4IZLY
> A Year in a Yawl. A True Tale of the Adventures of Four Boys in a Thirty
> Foot Yawl. By Russell Doubleday. New York: 1901
> p. 108
>
> > "I reckon you can," was the answer. "Look out, you yellow-livered son of
> =
> a
> > bale of cotton! Do you want to knock the young gentlemen overboard?"
>
>
> http://goo.gl/DVScQ
> The Medical and Surgical Monitor. [Medical Art and Indianapolis Medical
> Journal.] Volume 7(4). April 15, 1904
> The Waiting Room. p. 186
>
> > Dead silence from the inner room of mysteries, dead silence from the
> > sad-eyed, despondent, yellow-livered looking people in the waiting room.
>
>
>
> http://goo.gl/V1WN6
> A Yankee's Adventures in South Africa. By Charles H. Simpson. Chicago: 1908
> p. 72
>
> > "What, ho there, Jante!" cried Loffden, "what's up? You look as if the
> > devil had called on you for a roast and was chasing you out of the woods!
> > Speak, you yellowlivered cuss!"
>
> p. 102
>
> > "Darn you, you yellow-livered snake eater! What are you doing here?"
>
>
>
> http://goo.gl/6ib8H
> The Lone Adventure. By Halliwell Sutcliffe. New York: 1911
> p. 48
>
> > "If they but knew, Oliphant!" The older man's glance was no less direct,
> > but it was wistful and shadowed by some doubt that had taken him
> unawares=
> .
> > "We've all to gain, we loyalists, and George has left us little enough to
> > lose. And yet our men hang back. Cannot they see this Rising as I see it?
> > Prosperity and kingship back again=97no need to have a jug of water
> ready=
>  when
> > you drink the loyal toast=97the Maypole reared again in this sour,
> > yellow-livered England. Oliphant, we've the old, happy view of things,
> an=
> d
> > yet our gentlemen hang back."
>
>
>
> VS-)
>

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