preggers

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Tue, Aug 11, 2009 at 10:47 AM, George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu>
wrote:
>
> This is perhaps an example of what is called, I think, the "Oxford 'er' -- a
> practice among Oxford students of forming words by truncating a standard word
> and adding 'er' -- "brekkers" (breakfast)?  I have only dim memories of
reading
> a discussion of this, by an author who who took the practice as representative
> of English slang, compared its inanity with the vigor of American slang, and
> decided that we need look no further for the reason why the sun set upon the
> British Empire.

More here, with many examples:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_%22-er%22


--Ben Zimmer

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