T.I.P. acronym--1895

[Jonathan Lighter]

Maybe, but it's surprising to me that they were even thinking acronymically as early as 1895.

JL

Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Sam Clements
Subject: T.I.P. acronym--1895
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Straight Dope, someone asked recently about the tip=3DT.I.P. (to =
insure promptness) origin. We took care of that one easily. But, as an =
aside, I found=20

10 September 1895 _Los Angeles Times_ pg 6

>>A recently-published article on the derivation of the word "fad" =
speaks of it as being of Welsh origin, giving "ffedd" as the root word. =
A correspondent of the New York Tribune writes on the subject: The word =
'fad' is a manufactured word, not given by Worcester. It has been in =
use only a short time, comparatively, and, while it may be derived from =
the Welsh, it is more probable that it is made from the initial letters =
of the words 'for a day.' The word 'tip' orginated, it is said, in that =
way. The story goes that in an old-time English tavern a receptacle for =
small coin was placed in a conspicuous place over which appeared the =
legend, 'to insure promptness.' Whatever was placed in the box was =
given to the servants. Other taverns followed the example, and soon the =
three words were written, "T.I.P.," everybody knowing what they =
indicated. Then the punctuation marks were dropped, and the word 'tip' =
was born. 'Fad' and 'tip' are of the same class and kind."<<

Are there earlier print evidences of false acronymic origins?=20

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