[Ads-l] semantic drift: squadron

[Jonathan Lighter]

Here's a new example. It seems to mean "military unit of medium size":

2021 _Smithsonian_ (May) 29:  The squadron had been formed as the 15th
Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard...and was soon
recommissioned as the Army's 369th Infantry Regiment.

JL

On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 9:35 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: semantic drift: squadron
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A minor point to mention is that these recent army and air force
> applications are very specialized.  Whoever designated the Umptieth
> Finance Squadron knew that several hundred foot soldiers are not normally
> referred to as a "squadron."
>
> The writer's use of "squadron" in the context of a movie is simply the
> wrong
> word - technically and historically.  In a hundred years, it may be a
> recognized synonym for "group of friends," for all I know.  (Cf., more or
> less, the evolution of "posse.") Right or wrong, the point is it's new and
> may be widening in currency.
>
> JL
>
> On Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 6:44 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: semantic drift: squadron
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > At 7/22/2010 01:42 PM, Bill Palmer wrote:
> > >I was always amazed at how the USAF applies these terms for military
> units
> > >to the most unwarlike of functions...e.g. "233rd Finance Squadron" or
> > "25th
> > >Dental Wing", etc..
> >
> > That must be a bite wing.
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org