JEEP again

[Jonathan Lighter]

That would make sense if the application of "jeep" to the command car was
based on a commercial brand. "Jeep" was not one's brand-name in 1941. It was
originally folk terminology, and the 1/2-ton car was indeed mfrd. by
Dodge:  http://www.od43.com/Dodge_WC-6.html  There were a number of models.

Both the 1/4- and 1/2-ton vehicles were introduced at roughly the same time
and bore a vague superficial resemblance. It isn't surprising that the name
would be applied to either.  The 1/2-ton car was never, so far as I know,
called a "jeep" by its manufacturer. Nor was the 3/4-ton version of 1942,
which also looked like a giant Willys "jeep":
http://www.flickr.com/photos/appleman64/4458200649/ (Note the machine's
heroic pose.)

The only sense I can make out of the existence of both "peep" and "jeep" is
that people who used both names first associated "jeep" with the larger,
less publicized vehicle.

JL




On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: JEEP again
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  If we are to assume that Wiki information is accurate, the original
> Jeeps were designed by American Bantam--with engines from
> Willys-Overland and drive train from Spicer--and manufactured by Ford,
> although some were built by Willis-Overland as well.
>
> Dodge seems highly unlikely to me, as Chrysler did not acquire American
> Motors, which, at the time, included the Jeep division, until 1987 (AMC
> had bought Jeep in 1970). The original trademark appears to have been
> owned by Willys-Overland, but they licenced it to many other
> manufacturers, mostly foreign.
>
>     VS-)
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Wilson Gray<hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: JEEP again
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > On Thu, Sep 23, 2010 at 10:14 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>  wrote:
> >
> >> IIRC, the 1/2-ton "jeep" was designed and manufactured by Dodge.
> > I*I*RC, the WWII "jeep" was stereotypically manufactured - WRT design,
> > further deponent sayeth not, having not even a WAG on this point - by
> > Willys-Overland. Further information, sadly also based on memory, can
> > be found at
> >
> >
> http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=4wheeldrive&cdn=autos&tm=57&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.public.asu.edu/%7Egrover/willys/ws.html
> >
> > "The Willys Story - as I know it"
> >
> > (Uh, I own Bitly, but I don't know how to use it, never having needed
> > it before now. Sorry about that!) :-(
> >
> > -Wilson
> >
>
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