Re: More signs of the times

In article <memo.20080212220055.1648A@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
John Dallman <jgd@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
<snip>
>Some bookshop staff can be very defensive about the wrong practices they 
>believe to be correct. I once pointed out to a local bookshop in London 
>that the sign in their window said "Second-hand book's bought and sold" 
>and got lightly sworn at for my pains. I did get a very good apology 
>from the owner next day, which must have been acutely embarrassing for 
>him. It was his wife who'd sworn at me. 

For a slight ****ft of topic but still within the subject line:
When and where did "lightly" begin to be used to mean "mildly" 
or "slightly"?  I've only previously seen it used that way by 
a woman from Peru who is not a native speaker of English.

=Tamar Lindsay