dialect in novels

[Tony Glaser]

>>Speaking of "nerve-grating", why is the Toronto hockey club known as the
>>"Maple Leafs" and not the "Maple Leaves"?
>
>[And why did my astrophysics professor correct my paper, replacing "white
>dwarves" with "white dwarfs"? Specialized usage, I guess.]
>
>If your neighbors include families named Smith and Deer and Leaf, and you
>give a party for them, I guess it's for the Smiths and the Deers and
>the Leafs.
>
>-- Doug Wilson

Yes, and the British politician Michael Foot and his
politically-known family were not referred to as the Feet.

On a different subject - where did "sign off" come from? Instead of
waiting for the President or whoever to sign a bill or order, we now
wait for him to "sign off on" something. What's wrong with him just
signing an order? (are there other examples where "off on" occurs,
other then "he gets off on annoying people" etc.?)

Tony Glaser