Online OED

[faustus]

Has anyone got access to the online OED? I'm interested in the history of the word "fella" as synonym for mate (as opposed to husband).

I noticed the name Harriet Martineau being mentioned on the Toady Programme this morning in the item on the new OED online, as someone who gave 38 words to the English language, although no one thought to name them (and a bit of Google Fu discovers... she worked on the OED).

Today someone looked at my photo of a Harriet Martineau plaque and asked me to add it to a Flickr group. Coincidence?

Comments

[oursin]

Not in that spelling, or under 'feller'.
Under 'Fellow', however:
4. The complementary individual of a pair; the mate, ‘marrow’.Thesaurus »
Categories »
a. Of a person: The consort, spouse, husband or wife. Also of animals. Now colloq. and dial.a1300 Cursor M. 9405 (Cott.) , He wroght a felau of his ban Till adam.
a1500 (1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. i. 10 Eue, my felow, how thynk the this?
1538 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. I. 251* His [the King's] derrest fallow the Quene.
a1592 H. Smith Serm. (1631) 16 It is good for man to haue a fellow.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 224 When they be but heifers of one yeare‥they are let go to the fellow and breed.
a1616 Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. i. 84, I am your wife, if you will marrie me‥to be your fellow, You may denie me; but I'll be your seruant.
1966 F. Shaw et al. Lern Yerself Scouse 39 It's fer my feller's carryin-out. It is for my husband's packed lunch.