AWOL

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>I've seen various claims that the acronym "AWOL" actually dates to 1863 and
>the US Civil War. Does anyone have an actual citation of this? Or at least a
>cite that actually takes it to WWI (the OED only has 1921)?

This story appears in Barnhart and Metcalf, "America in So Many Words". I
just now checked the electronic version, and I don't see a footnote but
there may be supporting material in the real book. Both Barnhart and
Metcalf appear on this mailing list, I think.

The story does NOT suggest that the true acronym pronounced /eiwOl/ or so
was used in 1863: only the initialism or abbreviation, as I read the story.
It is stated that the acronymic pronunciation was first used around WW II,
IIRC. However the acronymic pronunciation apparently was used earlier, in
the 1920's at latest, according to Mencken quoting somebody else quoting
Krapp (Mencken, "American Language: Supp. II", 1948, p. 379).

M-W claims 1918 for AWOL. HDAS shows a joke-variant from 1920.

-- Doug Wilson