Antedating of "Persnickety" (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill CIV (US)]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Canton OH _Repository_ 19 Sep 1885  p 4 col 2
"The pardon of Mike Mullen is too much for the stomach of that
persnickety Democratic Mugwump journal, the Springfield (Mass.)
Republican."

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Shapiro, Fred
> Sent: Friday, March 01, 2013 7:12 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Antedating of "Persnickety"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Shapiro, Fred" <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Antedating of "Persnickety"
>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> The OED's first use of "persnickety" is dated 1892.  Evan Kirshenbaum
> has p= osted this antedating (from Google Books) on alt.usage.english:
>
>     "'Now, Mally, gal,' he said, 'I jes' seem to know how bad you want
> suth= in' to do, an' I know thet you an' them sisters of yourn air
jes'
> that pers= nickety 'bout your own clo'se--why, you allus look jes's if
> you'd stepped o= ut a band-box....'"
>
>                  S.E. Boggs, "Wash-Ladies", _Good Housekeeping_,
>                  10/26/1889
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org