Blizzard

[Donald M. Lance]

Thomas Jones wrote:

> I am starting a research project on the perception of weather and the power
> of names of weather events on perception.  I have come across an interesting
> set of stories about the word "blizzard" and I am interested in any input.
>
> According to one story, blizzard is of American origin, sometime in the 19th
> century.  Another story holds that blizzard comes from "blizzered" from
> England and yet another attributes it to a derivation of "blitz."  These
> stories all come from the east coast storm of 1888 and may all be incorrect.

Allen Walker Read published an article or a couple of notes on 'blizzard' -- I think in
American Speech in the 1930s.  I looked for the references just now but couldn't locate
them.  Well, many of us might ask, What did AWR not work on?  Not bitch slap, I'll bet.
But he'd be working on it right now if he had a little more strength at age 94 (or
whatever the number is).

DMLance
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