[New-Poetry] Re: Leaves of Grass

[Chris Lott]

On Fri, Jul 4, 2008 at 13:07,  <Rsgwynn1 at cs.com> wrote:
> In a message dated 7/4/2008 1:50:08 PM Central Daylight Time,
> grahamd at ripon.edu writes:
>
> I found this definition in *Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase &Fable*, 1898
> edition, which seems to support the etymology:
>
>      "A grass-hand is a compositor who fills a temporary vacancy."
>
> "Grass" must mean temporary in this sense, as in "grass-widow."

I doubt "grass" as slang for an informer goes back that far, but it
would be fun if it did :)

c