[Ads-l] pond

[Barretts Mail]

The article on “nimrod” on World Wide Words (http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-nim1.htm <http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-nim1.htm>) cited in today’s nimrod thread starts off with: 

——
From Barbara Murray, Wisconsin: Oxford Dictionaries online defines nimrod in UK English as a “skilful hunter” and, across the pond where I reside, as an “inept person”.
——

Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pond <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pond>): (colloquial) The Atlantic Ocean.

Mac Dictionary: (humorous) the Atlantic Ocean.

The English OLD does not have “Atlantic Ocean” in its “pond” entry (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pond <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pond>) but does have “transpontine” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transpontine <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transpontine>).

Merriam-Webster seems to have a relevant usage but without a corresponding definition (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pond <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pond>): They moved here from across the pond.

Particularly given that this term is not well known in the US, this definition is important. It is probably not too difficult to find citations that are neither colloquial nor humorous (perhaps the citations below).

From the ADS archives:

1997
Barry Popik has an undated citation (http://www.americandialect.org/americandialectarchives/mar97.txt <http://www.americandialect.org/americandialectarchives/mar97.txt>)

March 2001
Mark Mandel discusses transpontine and the Pond (http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2001-March/014045.html <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2001-March/014045.html>)

August 2001
Joel Berson states Herring Pond for Atlantic Ocean is found in 1686 (http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2011-August/111742.html <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2011-August/111742.html>)

2003
Dennis Preston uses the term (http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2003-October/034418.html <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2003-October/034418.html>)

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA
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