civilian

[Wilson Gray]

Monterey Marys = members of the old Army Security Agency who were
graduates of the Army Language School / Defense Language Institute
located at the Presidio of Monterey, CA; Mary Company = Processing
Company, all of whose members were Language School / Language
Institute grads

vs.

Animals = all other members of the Security Agency; Animal Company =
Headquarters & Headquarters Company, none of whose members were
Language grads.

-Wilson

On 2/14/07, Chris F Waigl <chris at lascribe.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Chris F Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET>
> Subject:      Re: civilian
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Jim Parish wrote:
>
> > Chris F Waigl referred to the use of "civilians" as:
> >
> >> Well, better than calling those "pedestrians" or "the uninitiated" I
> >> imagine.
> >>
> >
> > Then there's the (to me, unpleasant) usage by F/SF fans of the word "mundanes".
> >
>
> And of course the post-Harrypotterian "muggles" -- by extension of the
> book meaning.
>
> Chris Waigl
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Sam'l Clemens

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