the world

[Wilson Gray]

On Sep 28, 2004, at 12:06 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      the world
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Discussion of "the world" have centered on it being "not in the army"
> or
> "not stationed away from home".
> From Wall Street Journal, 4/29/91, article Darby, an advice columnist
> in the
> Texas Prison system newspapers.
> "The current Darby wrote for newspapers "in the world," as inmates
> describe
> what's beyond the red-brick prison walls, so submitting stories to the
> Echo
> came naturally.
>

So, what do you think? Did the expression start in prisons and spread
to the outside world? Or did it start in the military and spread into
the prisons?

Has the meaning really expanded to include "not stationed away from
home"? What are the odds that a person will end up stationed in or near
his home? Oops! I'm thinking old-school. The all-volunteer Army of
today is not the Army of the late '50's. and, even then, I knew of
cases like these. A German immigrates to the US, joins the Army, and is
assigned to the 8th Infantry Div (The Pathfinders), which is,
naturally, stationed in Germany. A kid graduates from the Baumholder,
Germany, American High School, joins the Army, and is assigned to my
unit, which is, of course, stationed in Baumholder.

-Wilson Gray