more early flivver, also spelled fliver, as failure

[Stephen Goranson]

The ads-l archive includes several early examples of flivver meaning failure, perhaps including a jokey 1906 example (financial fli[v]ver?). The failure sense so far appears to predate the junky (failure-prone?) vehicle sense.

Here is another, spelled fliver, from 1908.
Commencement days: a three act play of college girl life - Page 13 books.google.comVirginia Woodson Frame - 1908 - 80 pages - Free Google eBook - Read
We meant to put it back before anybody found out about it but the deal was a fliver and I've got to have two hundred and fifty to make good my share before the books are audited Monday." (Stops reading and repeats) 250 ! (Reads again) " You ...
http://books.google.com/books?id=14cVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=%22but+the+deal+was+a+fliver%22&source=bl&ots=dPChs17pDs&sig=9ZRnibFZw76a76ztN5r8R_CDPaI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mfUTUICEJoek8QTRiYGoCQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22but%20the%20deal%20was%20a%20fliver%22&f=false

An unverified scan with some text cut off:
The Saturday Evening Post: Volume 182, Issue 7
No cover image
    books.google.com1910 - Snippet view
... he stop ed the press just the same, and announce : “We stop the press this week to say nothing has happened for which we can stop the press." As a news expedition the h to meet om Craften Colonel Roosevelt was a fliver. t did not an [pan?] out
http://books.google.com/books?id=WVQwAQAAMAAJ&q=%22roosevelt+was+a+fliver%22+intitle:post&dq=%22roosevelt+was+a+fliver%22+intitle:post&source=bl&ots=z9zRX88rBa&sig=XUpdy_13tq_l9I_KhsMSdcoDqFU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=O_YTUKKGF46r0AGKt4CoCQ&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA

1910 - Free Google eBook - Read
The more experienced and the knowing ones in the company knew that they had what they described most peculiarly as a "fliver." They were able to look across the footlights and see in the crowded house the paucity of "live ones," as they ...
http://books.google.com/books?id=j24hAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA709&lpg=PA709&dq=fliver+%22had+what+they+described+most+peculiarly+as+a%22&source=bl&ots=XcqGHSnAtv&sig=MVuZYtUhNrnvl40Jj5ouRZUrq-M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-fYTUP2wDarr0gGzrYDwCA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=fliver%20%22had%20what%20they%20described%20most%20peculiarly%20as%20a%22&f=false



(American Historical Newspapers)  Headline: "The Spirit of Seventy-Six Disusses the Coming Holiday." The Original Celebrant of Our Glorious and; Article Type: News/Opinion
Paper: Plain Dealer; Date: 07-03-1910; Page: 58; Location: Cleveland, Ohio
....if you'll excuse Halley's Comet, which was a fliver....

Stephen Goranson
www.duke.edu/~goranson

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