Unusual use of "Tarheel" (1848, 1852)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

On Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 4:50 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> I'm satisfied with either of the possibilities for "Tarheel".  Now,
> Bonnie, what can you (we?) find out about "Screwdriver", and the
> other duo "Croutcutter" and "snakefeeder"?  (Although perhaps we know
> as much as can be found about Henry Clay and hogs!)

Well, Joel, I don't think I can add anything to the discussion, but
I'll note that -- as you pointed out in an earlier message --
"Croutcutter" does pop up in a Nashville newspaper over in the LOC's
Chronicling of America database.  Charles Farrar Browne, writing as
"Artemus Ward," used it as a last name in an 1866 column.  (See far
below for the extract and link to the full article.)

Given Browne's use of "Croutcutter," I was sort of hoping that it
might somehow signify "crust cutter," which at least sounds kind of
fancy (and which would make an application to Andrew Jackson
humorously incongruous, perhaps), but I think that -- as you all
concluded -- a cabbage shredder/slicer is right.

So, yeah, I got nothing, Joel, but thanks for the invitation to play along.

Except I can add that the group's recent focus on "snakefeeder" has
led to an antedating of the example offered by OED (1861).

Here's one from 1821 (below).  I've included more than is necessary in
case anyone might enjoy seeing a reference to that summer's
sea-serpent-mania.

-- Bonnie

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[Snake Feeder, 1821]

On the 7th of June last, about 5 o'clock in the afternoon; there
passed over Willistown and and Goshen a swarm of the animal
denominated the "Devil's Darning Needle," or the "Snake Feeder, or the
Snake Servant."  So vast was the number, that to use the expression of
a respectable person who witnessed their flight, 'they were like a
cloud and darkened the air.' From the best information we can obtain,
the swarm extended a mile in width, and was more than an hour in
passing.  They did not move fast; their general course was from east
to west.  Any futher information relative to this vast congregation,
we shall be glad to receive.  Were they seen at any considerable
distance from the towns mentioned?  One gentleman suggests that they
had been waiting upon the great sea serpent, and finding their service
no longer needed, were emigrating in quest of other business.

[From "From the Village Record, West Chester, (Penn.), Aug. 15.," in
The New-York (NY) Evening Post, 17 August 1821, p. 2.]

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[Croutcutter, 1866]

We were akumpanied by a towerist and artist, Sir Croutcutter, a furrin
gentleman, who acted as mi treasurer -- this is a goak, for he is not
in a monetury of the kaes, but he merely treasures up the grate and
little sayins that ockashunally drop from mi lips, and he reports them
weakly to the Times newspaper -- not the little villin's Times from Nu
York, but the thunderin big one from Londun.

Sir Croutcutter is one of the hunkiest jenisus and most habitual
connosure English society onse a while can afford to spare fo the the
benefit of us benited or rather unknitted Yankee roosters.

[From "Artemus Ward Visits Stein's Gold Gift Sale," The Nashville
(Tennessee) Daily Union, 24 March 1866, p. 1, column 3.  You can see
the remainder of the article, which includes a few more mentions of
Croutcutter, at http://ow.ly/p9bYp.]

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