No subject

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

on a plane on my mini-vacation, i came across the following in Ian
Rankin's _A Question of Blood_ (Little, Brown paper, 2003), p. 250:

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She made herself coffee, taking a mouthful before realizing she
hadn't boiled the kettle.
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this was (i think) a new usage for me, and probably british.  OED
Online has:

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4. a. trans. To cause (a liquid) to bubble with heat (see sense 1);
to bring to the boiling point: esp. said of food, wholly or partly
liquid, in the process of cooking; also of the containing vessel.

   c1420 Liber Cocorum 11 Boyle hit and sture lest hit brenne. a1500
E.E. Misc. (1855) 34 Sume byllyd mettayl. 1692 Lond. Gaz. No. 2800/4
The Copper boyls betwixt 15 and 16 Hogsheads at a time. 1831 CARLYLE
Sart. Res. II. ix, As kind housewives..were boiling their husbands'
kettles.
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the last of these is the usage i came across.  but ca. 175 years
ago.  i'd guess from rankin's usage that it's still current, at least
in scotland (where rankin sets his books).  but what do i know?

arnold