[Ads-l] Further Antedating of "Hokum"

[Bill Mullins]

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>   hokum (OED 1917)
>
>   1906 Evening World's Home Magazine (New York) 20 Jan. 2/1 (Newspapers.com)
>
>   Yes, Dopey McKnight Is Writing a Musical Show for Her to Star In; It's Sure to Be a
>   Hit Because Everything in It Is Sure Fire Hokum.

1856 Punch 8 Dec 222/1

It’s a dele plesenter to snooze in the prisun chapel than to be swettin on the mill or the crank, or tarein
your ands to peaces with that blessed hokum.


1856 Punch 20 Dec 248/2

To be sure, all this wood’nt be ’arf as hesy as shippin’ your prigs off in cartlodes to Horstralia, or sich like, or
settin’ on ’em to turn a crank or work a mill, or tese hokum.

[Both of these are notional letters from "James Hardy", a convict, suggesting improvements on prison discipline.]


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