Thomas Edison, how could you?

[Mark A Mandel]

On Thu, 22 Aug 2002, Michael Quinion wrote:

#Actually the OED does know it, but as a hyphenated term.

Ahhhh. Thank you. NOW I see it, s.v. shun, v., subentry 9, Comb.: with
all the combinations shoved in there. A difference in headword policy
that I hadn't picked up on.

Actually shunpike, shun-pike, and shun pike; and the note "shun-pike US
(see quot. 1911); hence shunpike v. intr., to drive along minor roads,
avoiding the toll on turnpikes, or for pleasure" is inaccurate. That
citation is British and hyphenated; 1853 spaced and 1862 hyphenated are
US, and all three are nominal. They don't cite the verb till 1964 from
Collier's, suggesting that it's a late derivative, maybe based on a
(here unattested as such) revival of the word such as in my father's use
in the fifties.

(All from the New Edition, nine-up.)

-- Mark A. Mandel