He used it in A Tramp Abroad and Life on the Mississippi, and in a letter in 1875. OED cites earliest use as 1883. See Ramsay & Emberson, A MARK TWAIN LEXICON (1938, rep 1963). They list 7,802 words, of which 4,342 are apparently new words invented by Mark Twain. They checked their entries against OED, Webster, etc. It's a complicated subject but you can read their 119pp. introduction to get a good idea of their approach and how to treat their results. With so many new Mark Twain works appearing since 1938, it's time for a revised edition of this extremely useful but outdated work, and it seems to me the perfect sort of project for an online database. Any lexicographers lurking out there? Kevin @ Mac Donnell Rare Books 9307 Glenlake Drive Austin TX 78730 512-345-4139 Member: ABAA, ILAB ************************* You may browse our books at www.macdonnellrarebooks.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Davis" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 8:02 AM Subject: M-W WOTD: "galley-west" > http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/ > > The Word of the Day for March 17 is:=20 > > galley-west \gal-ee-WEST\ adverb > : into destruction or confusion > > > "American author Mark Twain is on record as one of the first to use > "galley-west" in his writing. Etymologists believe the word is a > corruption of dialectal English "colleywest" or "collyweston." The > earliest appearance of those words, used with the meaning "askew or > awry," dates from the late 16th century. The ultimate source of > "colleywest" and "collyweston" is not known but is suspected to be from > a personal name. When "galley-west" is used in speech or writing, the > verb "knock" usually precedes it." > > [Interesting. I don't know that he made-up many words - Shakespeare a > far greater coiners of neologisms than our boy. Does anyone recall where > he used this one? /DDD ] > > > > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1498/3511 - Release Date: 03/16/11 > ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1498/3511 - Release Date: 03/16/11