OED shows 1952 as earliest date for _oil spill_. I found 1950 in JSTOR (Sewage and Industrial Wastes, April p 519) And 1948 in NewspaperArchive.com (in Alton Evening Telegraph, July 2, p 12) But, I can't believe it's not earlier. ------------------------------------------------------------ The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org