"Can I help who's next?"

[taylor j]

I've heard bank tellers in Gainesville, FL saying "Can
I help who's ever next?", in addition to the versions
noted by your daughter. I'm curious: is the "who's
next" variant derived from the "who's ever" (the
'ever' dropped)(this strikes me as unlikely-- why
would anyone generate 's in the middle of a word, even
as an error?) or is the "who's ever next" a blend of
"who's next" and "whoever's next"? Or something else
entirely?

Joanna Taylor

--- Mark A Mandel <mam at THEWORLD.COM> wrote:
> And my daughter *also* wonders about "Can I help
> who's next?", which
> only in the past 2-3 years has she heard in place of
> "Can I help
> whoever's next?"



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