franking

[Victor Steinbok]

Congressional franking privileges have lead to a number of scandals in
the past (and at least one conviction). This week, a new franking
scandal is bubbling in Montana, so the term is back in the news again.

The verb frank (v.2) and franking do appear in the OED. But the range of
definitions and examples is limited.

With the exception of two subentries, all examples are from the 19th
century of earlier. Frank v.2 1.a. has one example from 1971, but it's
from British Elizabethan Stamps, so it actually refers to 19th century
practices. There should either be another sub-entry under 1. to refer to
the Congressional practice, or there should be a phrasal entry for
"franking privilege".

> 1. a. /trans./ To superscribe (a letter, etc.) with a signature, so as
> to ensure its being sent without charge; to send or cause to be sent
> free of charge (/obs./ exc. /Hist./). Revived in later use: to mark (a
> letter, etc.) with a sign (in lieu of an affixed postage stamp) by
> means of a franking machine.
> 1927 [see franked adj. at Derivatives].
> 1971    D. Potter /Brit. Elizabethan Stamps/ xiii. 141   Letters and
> packets are franked with a handstamp or machine impression.


The "Derivatives" subentries are also limited. Franked adj. and franking
n./adj. lack separate definitions, even though the items above that they
might be derived from are quite different and only some of them serve as
antecedents. In fact, Congressional franking practice is similar to the
one in Disraeli quote, yet this 1880 quote is the last one on the list.
Franked is one of the items that has modern quotations, yet, some of the
quotes reflect that meaning that's not even in the main entry--the 1927
and 1928 quotes correspond to the Draft Addition 1993, while 1955 and
1965 quotes refer to "franked income" which is highlighted in the
all-too-brief lemma. But no examples of "plain" franked after 1928.

The Draft Addition conveys one of the current meanings of the verb, but
the 1940 and 1951 quotes don't appear to correspond to it--they seem to
come from the older meaning (1.a.).

> To stamp a postmark on (an envelope, parcel, etc.), esp. recording the
> date and place of posting; to cancel (a stamp) in this way.
> 1940 A. F. Harlow /Paper Chase/ xiv. 252   It was franked in an
> envelope of the National Recovery Administration--'Penalty for private
> use, $300.'
> 1951 /Sunday Pict./ 21 Jan. 4/3   The Post Office franked and
> delivered an unusual letter to Mrs J. M. Gooding. ...  Written from
> hospital by her young daughter she had posted it with a toy stamp
> issued by a store.
> ...

Also note that "franking machine" is mentioned in 1.a. lemma. But
Franking machine is a separate entry, at the moment, although it is
cross-referenced to frank v.2 and franking.

>   An officially authorized machine, introduced by the British Post
> Office in 1922, used by large concerns for 'stamping' letters, etc.,
> with a sign (in lieu of an affixed postage stamp); it simultaneously
> records the cost of postage (this being periodically checked and
> collected by the Post Office).
> 1927 /Times /22 Feb. 10/4   Remembering to have read of a franking
> machine called a postage meter being recently issued to the public, I
> wrote to the P.M.G.
> 1961 /Lebende Sprachen /6 70/1   Postage meter machine (B[ritish]
> E[nglish]: franking machine).

I don't think it's just British English (although I could be wrong). But
also note the context of the 1927 quote.

Now compare it to the 1927 quote under franked, which also is
cross-referenced under frank v.2 1.a.

> 1927 /Times/ 25 Feb. 10/6   The posting of franked letters at a date
> subsequent to that marked on the envelope is a violation of the terms
> of the licence.

This looks suspiciously as the meaning of franked="postmarked by a
machine", which would fall under the Draft Addition 1993 rather than
under 1.a. This would both antedate that subentry and force the quote
from one subentry to another (which is a fair swap for the 1940 and 1951
quotes above). In fact, the "revived use" simply refers to the use of
the postal meter, which falls under Draft Addition 1993. So there is an
overlap between those two that should be cured. It's not a revival, so
much, as an entirely new meaning--1.a. (old) implied the letter was
being sent free of charge (to the poster), but the new one (postal
meter) implies that it is being sent without a formal postage stamp
(meaning that sticky piece of paper with an image on it, not a stamp
produced with an implement), but it is paid for.

There also appear to be three different meanings of frank folded into
that draft addition. Two are spelled out while the third is unmentioned.
The first is just described--stamping a letter or package with a
franking machine or postal meter in lieu of a paper postage stamp. The
second refers to stamping date and time--either with a hand tool or via
a machine--onto the postage stamp. This is also known as "cancelling"
the stamp (originally meaning that the stamp is taken out of
circulation--particularly with stamp collectors--but now used to refer
to the whole process). The third meaning is to supply someone with a
"countersigned" envelope so that a letter (particularly business
correspondence) can be returned free of charge. In the US this includes
the practice of "Business Reply" envelopes or cards--they are ubiquitous
on magazine subscription cards, among others, but the familiar
black-line face has changed over the years. The "Business Reply"
correspondence is close to the original meaning of "franked" letters.

Incidentally, "cancelled" also has no 20th century quotation and does
not mention stamps.

     VS-)

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