Notions

Ideas, inventions, contrivances; then miscellaneous articles carried round for sale. See also YANKEE NOTIONS.

1788.  

1793.  Boston folks are full of notions.—Mass. Spy, May 16.

1796.  Parentheses one within the other, like a nest of Boston boxes, commonly called notions.—The Aurora, Phila., Feb. 1.

1809.  Such a … notion-peddling crew.—W. Irving, ‘A History of New-York,’ i. 120 (1812).
  (For fuller quotation see BUNDLING.)

1809.  If peradventure some straggling merchant of the east should stop at the door, with his cart load of tin ware or wooden bowls, the fiery Peter would issue forth like a giant from his castle, and make such a furious clattering among his pots and kettles, that the vendor of notions was fain to betake himself to instant flight.—Id., ii. 235.

1811.  

1819.  This cleared up the mystery of the toys and play-things, which, with hats, bonnets, shoes and stockings of various sizes, [and] Webster’s spelling-books, were part of the notions.—“An Englishman,” in the Western Star, May 12.

1830.  I thought I’d go and see about my load of turkeys and other notions.—Seba Smith (‘Major Downing’), ‘My Thirty Years Out of the Senate,’ p. 49 (1860).

1830.  I concluded it wouldn’t be a bad scheme to tackle up, and take a load of turkies and some apple sauce and other notions [to Boston].—Mass. Spy, Feb. 10.

1830.  Peter began to think of picking up his notions and being off.—Id., July 14.

1833.  There was no end of those nondescript contrivances which brother Jonathan very aptly denominates notions.—James Hall, ‘Legends of the West,’ p. 174. (Italics in the original.)

1836.  There was a considerable number of passengers on board the boat, and our assortment was somewhat like the Yankee merchant’s cargo of notions, pretty particularly miscellaneous, I tell you.—‘Col. Crockett in Texas,’ p. 77 (Phila.).

1839.  A “Notion seller” was offering Yankee clocks, &c.—Chemung (N.Y.) Democrat, April 17.

1846.  She had a cargo of notions, consisting of Boston china, (Hingham wooden ware), onions, apples, coffins in nests, cheese, potatoes, and many other articles, “too tedious to mention.”—‘The Cincinnati Miscellany,’ ii. 309.

1862.  The notions I was taking back to Philadelphia were all well insured, that’s one comfort.—Harper’s Weekly, vi. 362 (June 7).

1889.  If there was a new pair of boots among the contents [of a box from home], the feet were filled with little notions of convenience.—J. D. Billings, ‘Hardtack and Coffee,’ p. 221 (Boston).

1891.  I went to the store in which Mrs. Waters was employed and recognized her, from my wife’s description, at the notion counter, looking very widow-like in her black uniform dress.—Stephen Fiske, ‘Holiday Stories,’ 38. (N.E.D.)