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  • OED's earliest evidence for [comic relief] is from 1783, in the writing

    From HenHanna@21:1/5 to All on Wed Apr 3 14:45:52 2024
    XPost: alt.usage.english, alt.english.usage

    The earliest known use of the noun [comic relief] is in the late 1700s.

    OED's earliest evidence for [comic relief] is from 1783, in the writing
    of Thomas Davies, bookseller and actor.


    -------- Its early use had the same meaning as we use it today?


    it occurs in a SH (Sherlock Holmes) story... just once, i think.

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