1878 S. Butler Let. 7 Feb. (1955) 174 It was a stunt for advertising the books, so I sent them.

1892 R. H. Davis West from Car Window 13 They went about it as gleefully as schoolboys at recess doing ‘stunts’.

1895 Dial. Notes (Amer. Dial. Soc.) 1 viii. 400 Stunt (stɒnt): one of those convenient words which may be used in almost any connection and the exact meaning of which must be determined largely by the context;..‘It would be a great stunt to go to a dance without a girl’ (i.e. an unpleasant thing to do). ‘He performed various stunts for the prof.’ (i.e. did things that would win him the professor's favor, give him a ‘pull’)... [Editor's note Doing stunts is used in N.Y. City by boys in the sense of performing some feat in rivalry,—a long jump for instance,—one boy ‘stumping’ or challenging another.]

1897 Outing Aug. 440/2 A lamprey fastened upon a bare leg. That boy did more ‘stunts’ in five minutes than he would attempt now for five thousand dollars!

1899 J. L. Williams Stolen Story 198 If I were you I'd have a mass meeting first, with horse speeches, and all the old Fresh-fire stunts, then a parade.

1901 Westm. Gaz. 31 Jan. 10/2 There will be many new ‘stunts’ of a vaudeville nature.

1904 J. A. Riis Theodore Roosevelt ii. 29 [At College] he played polo, did athletic stunts with the fellows,..having no end of good times in it.

1905 D. Wallace Lure of Labrador Wild viii. 114 That snowshoeing trip would be a great stunt.

1909 Daily Chron. 25 Aug. 1/7 I've been in Texas about two years, doing broncho stunts.

1909 Flight 11 Sept. 552/2 He made the machine dart down as though it were going to pitch to earth head foremost, but when within about 20 feet of the ground, without effort he brought it horizontal again. These are what Americans style ‘stunts’.

1915 W. E. Dommett Submarine Vessels viii. 88 Of course, nothing in the nature of ‘stunts’, such as are performed by airman, are tried.

1916 Blackwood's Mag. Apr. 482/1 You remember it is time to get up, for there is a ‘stunt on’.

1919 ‘Etienne’ Strange Tales from Fleet 27 The ‘stunt’ was over, and two brief hours had prevented the twelfth Cruiser Squadron from cutting off the enemy light forces.

1922 Daily Mail 13 Nov. 11 The plea for ‘stipes’ is a newspaper stunt.

1927 C. A. Lindbergh ‘We’ i. 13 We did a few stunts over the fair-grounds to get everyone's attention.

1930 Lancet 7 June 1264/1 It has even been whispered, Sir, that there are too many ‘stunts’ (if this word may appear in your columns), too little science, but this is just malicious gossip.

1942 Sun (Baltimore) 29 Dec. 13/2 It would be a good stunt for us fellows to learn all the tricks of the Coast Guard and then we could turn rum runners!

a1967 J. R. Ackerley My Father & Myself (1968) vii. 61 My brother's assignment was what we called a ‘stunt’, a common affair, in this case important if only because the Brigadier had set his heart on it.

1975 Sunday Times 20 July (Colour Suppl.) 12/2 His bisexuality..was attracting sensational publicity. How much of this was simply a stunt?

1880 Hermean (N.Y.) 256 Ye have heard it said by those of old time, ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss,’ but by reason perhaps of its having been used as a ‘stunt’ for our childhood in the copy books, we seldom realize how beautiful and full of wisdom is the adage.

1904 G. H. Lorimer Old Gorgon Graham 85 And you set the other at a twelve-hour stunt of making all the beds you've mussed.

1921 G. B. Shaw in G. C. Williamson John Keats Memorial Vol. 176 Milton can do a stunt of geniality, as in L'Allegro.

1904 Sun (N.Y.) 8 Aug. 5 He took lessons in holding the life net..and the other stunts firemen are taught.

1913 R. Brooke Let. 22 July in Coll. Poems (1918) p. lxxxiv Then I do my pet boyish-modesty stunt and go pink all over.

1920 C. Bax Square Pegs 21 Hilda. You'll drive me frantic If you're not just the teeniest bit romantic. Gioconda. It isn't done. You're absolutely wrong In asking me to do that stunt. So long!

1928 S. Lewis Man who knew Coolidge i. 13 I'd never made a peep about how maybe it'd be a good stunt for him to go out and maybe earn a little money on the side.

1964 C. Hassall Rupert Brooke vii. 277 ‘So of course you were frank and boyish?’ said Mrs. Cornford, on hearing he [sc. Rupert Brooke] had just met Henry James. ‘Oh yes,’ he said, ‘Of course I did the fresh, boyish stunt, and it was a great success.’