Early 19th century; earliest use found in The Observer. From Alnaschar (French Alnaschar, 1705 in Galland's translation of the Arabian Nights), the name of a beggar in the Arabian Nights who destroys his means of livelihood because he indulges in visions of riches and grandeur from Arabic al-naššār (also in a large number of variants, several of which have no medial -n-), probably from al the + naššār sawyer from našara to saw (something) apart, although the semantic motivation of the name is unclear.