Richard Wright wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:00:55 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
> <snipped>
>> Sure, but then one would have to find every relevant entry. Not
>> quite the same as having some source that lists the earliest known
>> occurrences of such names/concepts.
>
> I can't see how anybody could begin to compete with the online Oxford
> English Dictionary and its battalions of readers that haved searched
> for occurrences over the last 150 years.
>
> I am unsure what you mean by the problem of having to 'find every
> relevant entry'. You type in the word, up comes the list of earliest
> known occurrences, together with changes in meaning over the
> centuries.
>
> Take just one entry - the favourite English dessert 'Spotted Dick' -
> How long would it take you to do the reading that went into this
> single entry?
>
> OED defines it as a ' suet pudding made with currants or raisins'.
>
> Among the citations a
>
> 1849 A. SOYER Modern Housewife 350 Plum Bolster, or *Spotted Dick. -
> Roll out two pounds of paste.., have some Smyrna raisins well washed
> [etc.].
>
> 1892 Pall Mall G. 15 Dec. 2/3 The Kilburn Sisters..daily satisfy
> hundreds of dockers with soup and Spotted Dick.
>
> 1854 C. M. SMITH Working-Men's Way in World xii. 288 For supper come
> smoking sheep's-heads..and ‘*spotted dog’, a very marly species of
> plum-pudding.
>
> a1936 KIPLING Something of Myself (1937) i. 18 An enormous currant
> roly-poly - a ‘spotted dog’ a foot long.
>
> 1974 Country Life 25 Apr. 990/1 The other hound..reminded me of a
> spotted dog pudding at school.
>
> All I can say is 'the best of luck' if you tried to compete with the
> OED.
>
> Richard
>
Yes, but you have to have something in mind to type it in. I
think it would be a great challenge to look for earlier
occurrences of relevant food terms. A list would facilitate that.
:-)

--
Jean B.