An atom. The word, which is of uncertain origin, appears as hait or hate in Pa., Ky., and Ohio: ‘Dialect Notes,’ i. 389.
1839. Now the Grampus [a vessel] stopt, and didn’t buge [budge] one hooter.—‘Major Jack on board a Whaler’: Havana (N.Y.) Republican, Aug. 21.
1843. The Injins … never did us harm—no, not a hait—(little bit).—B. R. Hall (‘Robert Carlton’), ‘The New Purchase,’ i. 172. (Italics in the original.)
1848. Politicians don’t care a hooter, so long as their own selfish ends are obtained.—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ i. 6.
1851. Niver fear a hate, mum; I’ll not forget a word.—T. S. Arthur, ‘Confessions of a Housekeeper,’ p. 165 (Phila.).
1853. Exhibitions which only steal away your sixpences, and do not add a hooter to either your morals or your healths.—Dow, Jun., ‘Patent Sermons,’ iii. 110.
a. 1853. [The elephant, said cousin Ichabod,] put one of his tails in my coat pocket, and hauled out all the gingerbread—every hooter.—Id., iv. 272.
a. 1853. Let him be as dirty as the mortal in Missouri, who is assessed as real estate, still it makes not a hooter of difference, so long as the yellow ore enriches his soil.—Id., iv. 209.
1862. Linkin ses “he warn’t skeered a hooter, but was only rarin mad.”—‘Letters of Major Jack Downing,’ May 26.
1862. While he was settin there, ses he, “Majer, I ain’t afeerd a hooter, but you see I didn’t want them seceshers to brag about killin me.”—Id., July 21.
