1596. John Davies, Epigrams, ‘In Faustum,’ xvi. But when he lost
his hair where he had been, I doubt me he had seen a lioness.
Lion- (or Leo-) hunter, subs. (colloquial).—One who runs after
celebrities. [Popularised by Dickens in the Mrs. Leo Hunter of
Pickwick].
1862. Round Table, 10 Aug. Mr. Alfred Tennyson, fleeing from the
bores and leo-hunters, has bought an estate called Greenhill, near
Blackdown-Hill, Haslemere.
1878. Athenæum, 19 Jan., p. 81, col. 2. Keats, the obscure medical
student, who died before a single lion-hunter had found him out.
1889. Harper’s Mag., lxxviii. 417. One of the greatest dangers to
all genius is that of being robbed of its vital strength by
velvety-pawed lion-hunters.
Lionism, subs. (colloquial).—Attracting attention as a lion (q.v.);
also, sight-seeing.
1839. Miss Martineau, article ‘Literary lionism’ in London & Westm.
Review of April 1839.
1851. Carlyle, John Sterling, Pt. III. ch. i. Its Puseyisms,
Liberalisms, literary lionisms, or what else the mad hour might be
producing.
Lionize, verb. (colloquial).—1. To go sight-seeing. Also, to play the
lion (q.v.).
1838. Wilberforce, Life, ii. 12. We came on to Oxford, lionized it,
and on to Cuddesdon.
1852. Bristed, Five Years, 129. For eight days I had been lionizing
Belgium under the disadvantages of continual rain.