Prom time . . . .

[Charles Doyle]

Used to be, high-school kids would "attend the prom."  Now,
however, they simply "attend prom."

I wonder just when (and why) "prom" became a "non-count"
noun, or--like "table" and "hospital"--with the definite
article deletable (or insertable) depending on the dialect
and the context.

--Charlie

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