An example: usually in a ludicrous sense.
1834. The way I’ll lick you, will be a caution to the balance of your family, if it don’t, damn me.—Knickerbocker Mag., iii. 35 (Jan.).
1835. The number of little children here [at Erie, &c.] is, as they say in the West, a caution.—C. R. Gilman, ‘Life on the Lakes,’ i. 51 (N.Y., 1836). (Italics in the original.)
1837. The way the heels of politicians are tripped up now-a-days is a caution to the weathercocks of all parties.—Balt. Comml. Transcript, Dec. 29, p. 2/1.
1838. He did not hesitate to declare, with a significant wink of the eye, that the way in which he would “use up” his opponent, when they got on the stump, would be a “caution” to yankee pedagogues in all coming time.—B. Drake, ‘Tales and Sketches,’ p. 84 (Cincinn.).
1839. A couple of friends, first rate shots, proposed a hunt, and liking the opportunity, for we knew their skill, we got our “fixens” and off we hied to the prairie—and the way the feathers flew was “a caution.”—John Plumbe, ‘Sketches in Iowa, &c.,’ p. 56 (St. Louis).
1840. The way Mrs. Nippers rolls up her eyes when the English are mentioned is certainly “a caution.”—Mrs. Kirkland, ‘A New Home,’ p. 259.
1842. The way it stormed was a caution to our little dog Moses.—Phila. Spirit of the Times, Oct. 20.
1844. The way that factory at the Masonic Hall turns out the chickens [by steam heat] is a caution to “biddies.”—Id., Sept. 9.
1845. They mounted their nags, and the way they cleared was a caution to Crockett.—P. P. Pratt, Account of his escape: The Prophet (N.Y.), Feb. 8.
1846. The way we went it was a caution to any thing short of locomotive doin’s.—W. T. Porter, ed., ‘A Quarter Race in Kentucky,’ etc., p. 123 (Phila.).
1846. The way [the bear] walked at me with his two fore legs was a caution to slow dogs.—Id., p. 138.
1846. When I did git out of site, the way I did sail was a caution to turtles and all other slow varmints.—Id., p. 88.
1848. The pace [the mare] took down the hill was certainly a caution to snails.—Durivage and Burnham, ‘Stray Subjects,’ p. 158 (Phila.).
a. 1849. You ought to see me sleep sometimes—the way I take it easy is a caution to children.—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ i. 242.
1849. Negroes, Indians, and Creoles, nearly, or quite nakes; rolling up the whites of their eyes at us, and vociferating for cargo in tones that were a caution to ourang-outangs.—Theodore T. Johnson, ‘Sights in the Gold Region,’ p. 11 (N.Y.).
1850. She tuk off her shoe, and the way a number ten go-to-meetin’ brogan commenced givin’ a hoss particular Moses, were a caution to hoss-flesh—but still it kept nose and nose.—H. C. Lewis (‘Madison Tensas’), ‘Odd Leaves,’ p. 52 (Phila.).
1851. The way he squalled, rolled, kicked, puked, snorted, and sailed into the air, was a caution to old women on three legs.—M. L. Byrn, ‘An Arkansaw Doctor,’ p. 151 (Phila.).
1862. The rapid way with which the eatables disappeared was a caution to the beholder.—Rocky Mountain News, Denver, April 26.
1862. We’ll have a banyan breakfast, but our appetite for dinner will be a caution to alligators.—Harper’s Weekly, vi. p. 362/2 (June 7).
