[Ads-l] pond

[Laurence Horn]

> On Oct 11, 2018, at 12:59 PM, Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> 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>)
> 

If you’re doing a complete search of the archives, you’ll probably encounter my “cispondian" (and probably “transpondian”, although I suspect others were there first with the latter term at least).

LH

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