"slang" and "informal" as dict labels [WAS: shirty?]

[Peter A. McGraw]

I'm familiar with "South Jersey" and the "Jersey Devil" and probably
numerous other expressions that combine a truncated "Jersey" with some
other word.  (And I've been to Jersey City and the Jersey Shore any number
of times.)  The only thing I don't remember hearing NJ residents use is
"Jersey" all by itself as the name of their state.  So I don't consider
either of these to be counterexamples.  "Jersey" as the name of what was
officially Esso would be a counterexample, though I never heard it,
probably because it had died out by the time I lived there.

Peter Mc.

--On Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:49 PM -0500 "James A. Landau"
<JJJRLandau at AOL.COM> wrote:

> In a message dated 2/17/03 11:49:07 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> pmcgraw at LINFIELD.EDU writes:
>
>> "Jersey" for New Jersey, which is used by New Yorkers but not by people
>> who live in New Jersey.
>
> Counterexamples:
>
> "South Jersey" ("SJ" only in newspaper headlines) is the common term for
> that part of New Jersey south of approximately Trenton.  "Southern New
> Jersey" is never used.
>
> "Jersey" was the nickname for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey
> before it changed its name to "Exxon".
>
> "Jersey Devil" (never "New Jersey Devil") is the local legend around here.
> He is not a Mephistoles but more of a mischief-maker said to haunt the
> local Pinelands.  The 177th Fighter Squadron based at the airport where I
> work is the "Jersey Devils".  The Jersey Devil legend is documented from
> at least the early 19th Century and may have originated as an actual
> person of the 18th Century (if so, his name was probably "Leeds").  The
> hockey team "New Jersey Devils" came long after the Jersey Devil legend
> and I don't know if there is any connection.
>
>         - James A. Landau
>           systems engineer
>           FAA Technical Center (ACB-510/BCI)
>           Atlantic City Int'l Airport NJ 08405 USA



****************************************************************************
                               Peter A. McGraw
                   Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
                            pmcgraw at linfield.edu