persons of cover (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Benjamin
Zimmer<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
> On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 1:58 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
> <Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
>>
>> Subject phrase refers to people who veil themselves.
>>
>> See:  http://www.danielpipes.org/7585/niqabs-burqas-veiled-threat
>
> Perhaps inspired by George W. Bush's usage of "women of cover" in his
> 10/11/01 press conference...
>
> http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/combating/bush_10-11d.html

Now that I check, Dubya first used the expression a week earlier (10/4/01):

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011004.html

(Noted in "Among the New Words," AmSp 77-3, Fall 2002.)


--Ben Zimmer

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