speed humps

[Garson O'Toole]

Here is the baseline for antedating:
OED Draft additions March 2003

speed hump n. = sleeping policeman n. at sleeping adj. 1f; cf. road
hump n. at road n. Compounds 6, speed bump n. at Compounds 4.
[1946    N.Y. Times 27 Jan. 3 (advt.)    Discouragement to autos was
considered duty of many American municipalities when ‘horseless
carriage’ first appeared on streets, terrifying pedestrians.
Ordinances put anti-speed humps in paving.]
1974    Times 17 May 2/6 (heading)    [Road Traffic] Bill proposes *speed humps.
1983    Chicago Sun-Times 23 Aug. 15   The west suburb's council is
considering a proposal that one or more ‘speed humps’ be built as an
experiment.

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 8:00 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: speed humps
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The following went to Michael alone, but it was meant for everyone:
>
> My estimate is that the speed humps I met with were about three feet wide.
>
> I can recall hearing the designation "sleeping policeman" only once in my
> life, in NYC in the early 1970s.  It sounded very affected and cumbersome.
>
> JL
>
> On Sun, May 1, 2011 at 11:31 PM, paul johnson <paulzjoh at mtnhome.com> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       paul johnson <paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: speed humps
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> paul johnson
>> Doesn't anyone else remember deadmen?
>> Or sleeping policemen
>> although Speed Hump does remind me of my youth.
>>
>> On 5/1/2011 10:06 PM, victor steinbok wrote:
>> > In one of Boulder environs, I saw a sign that simply read "HUMP". Since
>> it
>> > did not have an exclamation point, I had assumed that this was not an
>> > imperative. Indeed, about 50 yards further, there was a speed bump
>> (unlike
>> > other parts of the country, around there, the speed-bumps are actually
>> > trenches, which is, perhaps, why they did not want to call it a "bump").
>> In
>> > other parts these are "bumps". I don't recall which specific municipality
>> > decided to come up with its own version. But this is not universal, as
>> > in Lafayette, CO, these are tagged as "DIP". I suppose, this is more
>> > appropriate.
>> >
>> > Not sure where I saw "SPEED HUMPS", but, if IIRC these were the wider
>> > variety that you may see on Milvia in Berkeley (~8 ft wide) rather than
>> in
>> > your average shopping mall parking lot (2-3 ft wide).
>> >
>> > VS-)
>> >
>> > On Sun, May 1, 2011 at 6:55 PM, Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>> >wrote:
>> >
>> >> While driving in an unfamiliar part of town this week, my glance fell
>> upon
>> >> a
>> >> roadside sign advertising
>> >>
>> >> SPEED HUMPS
>> >>
>> >> Naturally I assumed I'd strayed into a demi-monde area. But imagine my
>> >> chagrin when I found that the sign was merely warning motorists against
>> >> what
>> >> us regular people call "speed bumps."
>> >>
>> >> It was an official municipal-type sign, too.
>> >>
>> >> JL
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