[Ads-l] Antedating of "Main Man"

[Shapiro, Fred]

main man (OED 1956)

1931 Kansas City Call 9 Jan. (ProQuest)  Parsons team has been weakened considerably by the loss of some of the main men through graduation.

1937 New York Amsterdam News 2 Jan. 14 (ProQuest)  Despite Joe's [Joe Louis] amazing defeat at the hands of Max Schmeling he remained the main man in boxing.

Fred Shapiro


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