query

[Bob Haas]

NW NC--I grew up with both of these.  The first "over to" wherever is to my
experience more countrified, whereas "looking to" do something, as well as
"fixin' to" do something (perhaps the very same thing), is much more
widespread.

bob

> From: "Morgan, Louise I." <lmorgan at UMR.EDU>
> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 13:10:56 -0600
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: query
>
> Greetings,
> I have two queries, both involving "to."
>
> First, here in south central Missouri, it's quite common to hear
> local people use "to" when they mean "at", such as "I got this new chair
> over to Wal-Mart."  or  "He won't be in this afternoon because he's over to
> the doctor."   How do you think this usage evolved?
>
> Second, I've noticed an increasingly frequent use, nation-wide, of
> the phrase,  "looking to do something", meaning "planning to."  Example:
> "She's looking to enlist in the Army after high school."  "The committee is
> looking to uncover the agency responsible for the error."
> Has anyone else noticed this?
>
> Thanks,
> L.Morgan