Antedating of "boffin"

[Geoffrey Steven Nathan]

Our local independent classical radio station (WRCJ-FM, wrcjfm.org--listening to it now) has a couple of long-time classical DJ's. One of them frequently refers to the technical people behind the scenes as 'back-room boffins'.

I'm not sure whether it's one more instance of the recent British re-invasion (cf 'one-off', 'agreed [without 'upon'], and other instances discussed here) or whether it's left over from immediately post-WWII.

Actually, I'm meeting with him next week--if I remember, I'll ask him.

Geoff

Geoffrey S. Nathan
Faculty Liaison, C&IT
and Professor, Linguistics Program
http://blogs.wayne.edu/proftech/
+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)

Nobody at Wayne State will EVER ask you for your password. Never send it to anyone in an email, no matter how authentic the email looks.


----- Original Message -----

> From: "Hugo" <hugovk at GMAIL.COM>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2014 8:35:18 AM
> Subject: Antedating of "boffin"

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Hugo <hugovk at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Antedating of "boffin"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Register, a British tabloid tech website, is fond of using the
> word
> "boffin" for scientists, and recently received a complaint from a
> boffin
> after neglecting to call him a boffin.

> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/11/damn_you_iel_regi_call_me_a_boffin_demands_enraged_boffin/

> They're now after a definition.

> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/12/boffin_definition/

> Anyway, the OED has this sense of boffin from 1945 but I found a
> 1943.

> They note: "The term seems to have been first applied by members of
> the
> Royal Air Force to scientists working on radar."

> Their first two quotations (1945, 1948) mention Malvern and
> Farnborough,
> both RAF locations. Their third (1948) mentions the RAF. This 1943 is
> also
> an RAF use.

> Journal of the Institute of Petroleum, Volume 28, March 1942, page
> 58,
> recording the speeches of a luncheon: "A Luncheon of the
> Parliamentary and
> Scientific Committee was held at the Savoy Hotel, London, on Tuesday,
> 3rd
> February, 1942", Sir Henry Tizard's speech beginning:

> [Begin]
> Looking at things as a whole, no one can deny that the influence of
> science
> is now greater than it has ever been, and that the present Government
> and
> Parliament attach a value to the help and guidance of scientists that
> no
> previous Parliaments have ever done. Lord Hankey has already told you
> something of the work of the Scientific Committees over which he
> presides.
> There are many more such Committees that I could mention. There is
> hardly a
> phase of the national life now with which scientists are not
> associated. In
> fact, a fighting friend of mine said that he could hardly walk in any
> direction in this war without tumbling over a scientist who had got
> in the
> way. In the Royal Air Force, where the concentration of scientists is
> perhaps greatest, they have a pet name for them. They call them "
> Boffins." Why, I do not know. I said to a young friend 6f mine in the
> Air
> Force, " Why do you call scientists ' Boffins ' ?" He said, " I don't
> know.
> What else would you call them ? "
> [End]

> Full-text PDF:
> http://delibra.bg.polsl.pl/Content/15981/P-102_1942_No219.pdf

> Not full view but searchable:
> http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015068192361

> Hugo

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