Proposal: An separate antedatings list

[Barry A. Popik]

There are several problems with separate lists. You'd have to have several
of them.
...
When I recently posted "steakfingers" and "trinity" (regional American  food
terms), they were not "antedatings." They are not in  OED and the relevant
volume of DARE has not been released. That's why I  posted those terms. BBQ crabs
(another American regional food) is also  not an "antedating" of something I
believe DARE missed. "Suicide circuit"  (rodeo) is also not an antedating
because DARE/OED doesn't have it  yet.
...
Also, I've discussed a great many American phrases here. "DLTDHYOTWO (Don't
Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out)" is not an "antedating." Many phrases
such  as this one are not quite in dictionaries (or books of quotations) yet (if
they ever will be). They're just all over the internet.
...
My post on "Denver Sandwich/Denver Omelet/Western Sandwich" WAS an
antedating of DARE/OED, but it was also an analysis of an important American  (formerly
regional) food term. It wasn't simply one earlier citation found on
NewspaperArchive. My post on "Red or Green or Christmas?" (New Mexico food  lingo) was
also an analysis, and not an "antedating" of the "Christmas" term  that is
not in DARE.
...
My recent post on "nacho" WAS simply an antedating, using a resource newly
available in NewspaperArchive. But that's also because we'd discussed  "nacho"
before.
...
I apologize for anyone who's not interested in American regional food, or
quotations, or phrases, or political lingo, or sports lingo, or New York
regional terms, or Texas regional terms, or what have you.
...
I'm sorry for anyone who feels he or she has to leave the list, but I can't
regret cluttering up the list with American speech.



************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

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