Fatals (noun)

[Baker, John]

I can date the first time I heard this usage with some precision:  January 25, 1992, when a hospital worker asked me about applying for a "social" in connection with the birth of my daughter the previous day.  She used it in a routine manner and seemed to expect me to know what she meant.
 
John Baker
 

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From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Mon 7/3/2006 1:25 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Fatals (noun)



The earliest "social" on Usenet appears to be Dec. 1, 1997:

  http://groups.google.co.uk/group/alt.gothic/msg/7b9532167ebff9fd?hl=en&

  I began noticing it much more recently than that.

  JL

Chris Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Chris Waigl
Subject: Re: Fatals (noun)
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Charles Doyle wrote:

> Speaking of things elliptical: When did one's Social
> Security number start being referred to simply as
> his "social"? (It's hard to search that!)

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