[Ads-l] Antedating of "Cakewalk" (Figurative)

[Shapiro, Fred]

cakewalk (OED, 1.d., 1886 [10 July])

1885 White Cloud (Kan.) Review 24 Sept. 5/2 (Newspapers.com)  The Banner Bakery had a cake-walk on selling oysters, Tuesday.  It kept two busy handing them out.

1886 New York Herald 9 July 4 (GenealogyBank)  Edwin H. Fitler ... has a large fortune made from a rope walk in the Quaker City, but life here is "a cake walk for him."

Fred Shapiro

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