Another "upped/up" controversy

Wilson Gray hwgray at EARTHLINK.NET
Mon Jul 12 19:50:28 UTC 2004


In the early 'Sixties, when I was in the Army, there were many
almost-coming-to-blows discussions in the barracks wrt to the verb "to
re(-)up," meaning "to re-enlist." The argument had to do with whether
one should say (a) "John Doe is re-upping/re-upped/has re-upped" or (b)
"John Doe is ?reing/re'ing? up/?reed/re'd? up/has ?reed/re'd? up." Some
GI's, including me, considered it to be so "obvious" that the "correct"
form was (a) that discussion should have been pointless. And it would
have been pointless, had not other GI's believed just as strongly that
it was "obvious" that (b) had to be the "correct" form.

-Wilson Gray



More information about the Ads-l mailing list