protest = 'demonstrate in public to draw attention to'

[Laurence Horn]

On Apr 5, 2012, at 9:22 AM, Charles C Doyle wrote:

> Hasn't the elliptical "Vietnam" now become pretty widely lexified in the sense of 'Vietnam war' or 'time of the Vietnam war' (as in "post-Vietnam," "Vietnam veteran," "Vietnam syndrome," etc.)?  The OED seems to lack an entry for "Vietnam" in any sense or usage.
>
> Charlie

It may well have by now (and indeed by the late 70s for all I can remember), but it hadn't at the time "anti-Vietnam (demonstrations, rallies, posters,…)" was first in use.  The ellipsis of "war" in that context is what was striking (and annoying, depending on which side you were on).


LH
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Laurence Horn [laurence.horn at YALE.EDU]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 11:07 PM
>
> Speaking of protestors, but on the other side of the issue, I remember when it was fairly standard to refer to those of us who opposed the war (sorry, conflict) in Vietnam as "anti-Vietnam demonstrators" rather than "anti-Vietnam War demonstrators".  We used to say (without noticeable effect) that we were *pro*-Vietnam, just against the war.
>
> LH
>
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