[Ads-l] Antedating of "Conspiracy Theory"

[Laurence Horn]

I would bracket that use of "conspiracy theory", which transparently refers
to a particular theory about a particular alleged conspiracy rather than
invoking the general pattern of "explanation" more befitting of a lexical
entry, glossed this way by Merriam Webster

a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a
secret plot by usually powerful conspirators
also  : a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept
from the public
LH, frustrated again at a partial definition in the new oed.com

On Sun, Oct 8, 2023 at 6:29 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:

> conspiracy theory (OED 1909)
>
> 1863 _New York Times_ 11 Jan. 3/6 (Newspapers.com)  Our masses, having
> only a rough general knowledge of foreign affairs ... do not appreciate the
> complications which render such a conspiracy impossible. They only look at
> the sudden right-about-face movement of the English Press and public, which
> is most readily accounted for on the conspiracy theory.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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