banter v

1793 Thomas’ MA Spy or Worcester Gaz. (MA) 4 Apr 1/2 NY, The husband . . , after a few minutes bantering, accepted, in exchange for his wife, an old horse, with nine dollars in cash to boot. 1806 Political Observatory (Walpole NH) 5 Sept [4]/1, A conceited fellow stepped up to the window and asked me if I would swap watches with him. I replied—I do not get my living by the jocky-business. “I do, a part of mine,” said he. “The other day, in bantering with neighbor Simple, I cleared as good as twenty dollars.” 1837 Spirit of Times 7.133, After considerable bantering three or four matches were closed, the most important of which is one between Charlotte Russe, of South Carolina, and Lady Cliffden, of Virginia, for $10,000 a-side. 1895 DN 1.396, Banter: to haggle at a price. 1968 DARE (Qu. U12, If you were buying something and you argued with the person selling it till you made him lower the price, you might say, “I _____.”) Infs NY75, 96, Bantered him down; GA44, Bantered with him [laughter]. [All Infs old]

1789 NH Gazetteer (Exeter) 21 Nov [2]/4, Two gentlemen came to Dr. Thom’s tavern in the evening . . —after dismounting and taking a drop of grog, one of them bantered the Dr. to swop horses; but as there was as much as 20 or 30l. difference, he was suspicious that all was not right. 1810 Cuming Sketches 135 OH, Two hunters sat down with us. . . At last they bantered each other to go out and kill a deer. 1843 in 1967 Harris High Times 21 TN, [He] had just concluded a match on his mouse colored horse Snapping Turtle, against the aforesaid banterer’s sorrel horse Tarrapin, for twenty-five bushels of corn. 1872 Eggleston End of the World 177 IN, He grew excited, and bantered the whole crowd. Was there no gentleman in the crowd who would lay a wager of wine for the company on this interesting little trick? 1883 Harris Nights with Remus 330 GA [Black], Little Wattle Weasel banter ’im fer a race up de branch. 1892 DN 1.235 wMO, A boy will say, “I’ll banter you to dive from that bank.” 1902 DN 2.228 sIL, Banter. . . To challenge. 1903 DN 2.305 seMO, Banter. . . To propose a trade. ‘He bantered me to swap horses.[’] 1906 DN 3.125 nwAR, Banter. . . To challenge. “He bantered me, and so I had to do it.” Common. 1907 DN 3.228 seMO, Banter. . . To propose a trade. “I’d like to banter you for a horse swap.” 1908 DN 3.289 eAL, wGA, Banter. . . To challenge as to trade. 1923 (1946) Greer-Petrie Angeline Steppin’ 36 csKY, Lum bantered him fur a trade, and even offered the feller his Barlow knife and six bits. 1935 Davis Honey 39 OR, His oldest brother had been considerable of a fight-banterer and a devoted hand at breaking community dances up in a row. 1941 AmSp 16.21 sIN, Banter. Challenge. ‘He bantered me for a trade.’ 1944 PADS 2.40 cwNC, csVA, Banter. . . To dare, to challenge. 1948 WELS Suppl. IL, When children dared each other to jump a stream, they said, “Banner you to jump the branch.” 1950 Stuart Hie Hunters 167 eKY, He just ran up and fronted a man, stuck his face out like he was bannering the man to strike it. c1960 Wilson Coll. csKY. 1967 DARE (QR p26) Inf CO8, Bannered me to go [FW: Inf’s spelling—I misheard . . as “bantered,” but it’s “bannered”]; (Qu. Y5, . . “Johnny wouldn’t have tried that if the other boys hadn’t _____.”) Inf CO7, Bannered him. 1969 Green Wild Cow Tales 136 TX, I told DeWitt . . about the proposition that I had been bannered with that morning. 1982 Slone How We Talked 31 eKY (as of c1950), Banter—dare; also, ask for a trade or barter. . . “I bantered him to jump from the barn roof,” or “I bantered him to a horse trade.”