[Ads-l] Further Antedating of "Mad Scientist"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Not "mad" in the later nuance of "malevolently and dangerously insane."

JL

On Sun, Aug 2, 2026 at 3:30 PM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks, Fred. Now added to HDSF.
>
> I note that the 1883 citation that had been the earliest in HDSF was also submitted by one Fred Shapiro.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
>
> On Sun, Aug 02, 2026 at 05:31:04PM +0000, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
> > mad scientist (OED 1893, Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction 1883)
> >
> > 1871 Daily Patriot (Washington, DC) 21 Aug. 2/3 (Newspapers.com)
> >
> > We find twenty mad scientists airing their crotchets of differential expansion, strength in weakness, and the like.  This is not testimony of experts at all, but vagary of eccentrics.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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