new -er

[ronbutters at AOL.COM]

There is NOTHING new about this -er. It simply means 'agent' or 'instrument'. Agents may be good, indifferent, or bad. The intended meaning depends on context. It always has. My father always said "New Dealer" with a sneer. I have friends who say "recycler" with scorn. My usage is essentially positive for both words. The same ambiguity of implication is inherent in "kill biller."
------Original Message------
From: Victor Steinbok
Sender: ADS-L
To: ADS-L
ReplyTo: ADS-L
Subject: [ADS-L] new -er
Sent: Dec 22, 2009 10:40 PM

"kill billers"--those on the left who advocate voting down the current
version of the health-care reform bill.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/12/insidious-myth-of-reconciliation.html

Don't know how widespread this is, but the term certainly falls into the
pattern of other recent "-ers".

     VS-)

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


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