Origin of the "Pink Slip"

[Dennis R. Preston]

>Why does it seem odd that labor scholars would not know etymologies?
>Am I just being a linguist again?


dInIs





>I'm trying to pin down the origin of the term "pink slip" for a story I'm
>working on.  But so far none of the leading labor scholars I've consulted
>seem to have a clue, which seems odd considering how often the term is used
>(especially these days).
>
>Anybody have any thoughts on the expression's historical roots?
>
>Best,
>Mike Stroh
>reporter
>The Baltimore Sun
>Baltimore, MD

--
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736