Britishism?

[Baker, John]

I'm a little surprised at this, because "book an appointment" sounds utterly unexceptional to me, although "make" and "schedule" sound fine too.  Maybe it's regional and I'm influenced by my years of living in the Boston area?  However, I gather Wilson has spent time there as well.

I could "reserve" a tennis court or tee time, but I've never reserved an appointment.  It sounds like a somewhat tentative arrangement to me, as if the person reserving the appointment then would have to book it as a second step.


John Baker


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Arnold Zwicky
Sent: Sunday, October 07, 2012 10:56 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Britishism?

On Oct 7, 2012, at 7:35 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>
>
> Harvard University Health Service site:
>
> " You may also _book_ an appointment."
>
>
> I've always scheduled appointments, heretofore.

me too.  on the other hand, you book tennis, squash, or racquetball courts, and you book tee times on golf courses.  "reserve" is possible, but to my ear it's more formal.

arnold, a racquetball player in a previous life

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