cables

[Dave Wilton]

Technically no. "Cable" is diplomatic jargon for a message between an embassy and the capital. It once referred to submarine telegraphic traffic, but now it's done via internet, satellite, and other means, but the outdated term remains, like "dialing a phone."


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Frank
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 6:00 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: cables

The OED defines "cable" as "cablegram" and "cablegram" as "A message
sent by submarine telegraph cable." The New Oxford American Dictionary
defines cable and cablegram as "a telegraph message sent by cable."

Is that what the cables and diplomatic cables Wikileaks has been publishing are?

Paul

Paul Frank
Translator
Chinese, German, French, Italian > English
Espace de l'Europe 16
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
paulfrank at bfs.admin.ch
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu

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

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