Charlie

[Sam Clements]

HDAS has "Charlie" from Time Mag. in 1942.  Look at the 5b. listing under
"Charlie."  It's easy to miss.

SC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Quinion" <wordseditor at worldwidewords.org>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 4:43 AM
Subject: Charlie


> While researching "skivvies" recently, I cam across this in an
> article by Damon Runyon in a New England newspaper in 1942:
>
> "'Skibby' is what Japs are called to this day by most Californians
> even in polite circles, and it is unlikely that the California home-
> grown soldiers will dismiss it for the more polite 'Charlie' and
> 'Tojo' that the dispatches from the Far East would have us believe
> are now terms for the enemy."
>
> To me, and the OED, "Charlie" dates from the Vietnam era. Are we
> wrong or was Damon Runyon mistaken?
>
> --
> Michael Quinion
> Editor, World Wide Words
> E-mail: <editor at worldwidewords.org>
> Web: <http://www.worldwidewords.org/>
>