The Laboratorium

William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine, page 23:

Mick straightened, frowning at her. “Now that’s exactly what I mean. You’re running with the flash mob, now, but thinking like a trollop! …”

Emphasis added.

May 27, 2008 at 1:16 PM

tingley

Nice find.

May 27, 2008 at 9:59 PM

Michael Froomkin

Larry Niven was using the term “flash crowd” looong before them…. short story in the ’70s or ’80s.

May 27, 2008 at 11:38 PM

Luis

Google Book Search has a 1906-era source for it.

May 28, 2008 at 4:39 PM

Matthew Skala

I don’t think that really counts because it’s using the words in a very different sense. “Flash,” in that world, was a slang term roughly meaning “cool.”