/hw-/ > /w-/

[Michael H Covarrubias]

The OED does list "wile" specifically in such a phrase as "wile away the time"
meaning "To divert attention pleasantly from (something painful or tedious); to
charm away; esp. to cause (time) to pass away pleasantly or insensibly."

This definition is preceded by the comment that this usage replaces "while."
The earliest citation provided by the OED is in Frances Burney's _Camilla_
(1796).  "While" in the same context is cited more than 150 years earlier in
Francis Quarles' _Emblemes_ (1635).

The intention related to distraction might be responsible for the 'wile'
variation, since 'wile' is related to "guile" -- which was also used in this
sense.  The OED provides the related citation from Shakespeare: "bequile the
day, the time."

Michael

Quoting Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>:

> I am reading _Les Miserables_ in the 1987 translation by Lee Fahnestock and
> Norman MacAfee (Signet)--yes, the one with the cover illustration from the
> poster advertising the musical, which pictures a bereted waif (is it
> Eponine?) in front of a tattered flag.
>
> I've barely begun, but I want to share what appears on p. 497, a reference to
> "an old gentleman back from exile, ruined and blind, who was playing on the
> flute in his garret to wile away the time."
>
> "Wile" could be merely a misprint, though I have noticed only 4 or 5
> misprints in the first 550 pages. Dialect could certainly affect translators'
> errors, as well as editors' and proofreaders' oversights.
>
> The translation is said (on the title page) to be "based on the classic C. E.
> Wilbour translation," which first appeared (I believe) in 1862.  In the 1931
> Modern Library edition of the Wilbour translation, the corresponding passage
> shows "an old gentleman of the emigration, ruined and blind, who was playing
> upon the flute in his garret to while away the time" (p. 421).
>
> --Charlie
> __________________________________________________________
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   English Language & Linguistics
   Purdue University

   215 Heavilon Hall
   500 Oval Dr
   W Lafayette, IN 47907
   Office: 765-494-3721

   mcovarru at purdue.edu

   web.ics.purdue.edu/~mcovarru
  <http://wishydig.blogspot.com>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   English Language & Linguistics
   Purdue University
   mcovarru at purdue.edu

   web.ics.purdue.edu/~mcovarru
  <http://wishydig.blogspot.com>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org