John Ciardi was a heckuva writer, but he was rather short on scholarship when it came time to provide cites/sources. I’ll almost guarantee you that he had no basis for the claim that that term “Jimmies” for chocolate sprinkles was in use in the 1900-1920 period. It just plain wasn’t.
His stated basis for the claim was that he was born in 1916 and “From the time I was able to run to the local ice cream store clutching my first nickel, which must have been around 1922, no ice cream cone was worth having unless it was liberally sprinkled with jimmies.”
So he is saying at 6 years old he remembers the term being in wide use. The difference between 6 and, say 15 or so, is pretty huge when it comes to childhood memories. But I don’t discount the possibility his memory was incorrect.
You won’t. If you read that story, it really doesn’t claim a trademark, and certainly not circa 1920. At least, I didn’t see that claim.
As to their pictures, notice that the can marked “Jimmies” has a zipcode. That kinda dates that one. :eek:
But nonpareils and hundreds-and-thousands are. One of these will be found in Larousse and Escoffier, one of these, not. An English regionalism =/= technical term.