"pre-owned"

[A. Maberry]

"Pre-owned" meaning "used" has been common in Seattle for years. However,
I can't recall the year I first heard it. Early 1990s maybe?

allen
maberry at u.washington.edu

On Thu, 27 Sep 2001, sagehen wrote:

> There's a bit of radio spam  I've been hearing lately, on NPR, in
> connection with some car :  "pre-owned."  On the model of pre-war,
> prehistoric, preview, this ought to mean not yet taken possession of,  but
> I think is actually intended as a euphemism for "used." Sloppiness or
> intentional ambiguity?
> A. Murie
>