[Ads-l] Antedating "U.S."

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Excellent work. An article from 1786 indicated that the abbreviation
U.S. for United States was about to be employed on new coins. I just
found this article via a search query in newspapers.com, but I noticed
that article was clipped back in June 2020.

Date: 29 May 1786,
Newspaper: The Vermont Journal
Newspaper Location: Windsor, Vermont
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53536368/the-vermont-journal/

[Begin excerpt]
We are informed, that at Greenwich, in England, forty tons of copper
is now coining into half pence, for the use of the American States: On
one side an Eye of Providence, with thirteen Stars ; the reverse U. S.
for United States.
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Tue, Jan 12, 2021 at 10:12 PM Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I
> Here's another good one:
>
> 1792  The House, by message, had informed the Senate, that THE PRESIDENT of
> the U.S. had signed the Post-Office Act.
>
> II
> This is undoubtedly for "United States Army":
>
> 1814 _Baltimore Telegraph_ (Dec. 23) 1: AMOS WOODWARD / Lieut. 14th Reg.
> U.S.A.
>
> But this isn't:
>
> 1817 _Franklin Herald_ (Greenfield, Mass.) (Sept. 16) 1: John Adams, Esq. /
> Late President, U.S.A.
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, Jan 12, 2021 at 4:54 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > Wondering if either of you, or anyone else to hand, has antedates for
> > U.S.A., which the OED conflates with U.S. but provides no instances of.
> > Presumably they have no cites prior to 1834 or they’d have listed them.
> > Just curious what the time lag was between U.S. and U.S.A., I’m guessing
> > with the former at least somewhat earlier (especially since military
> > contexts might be absent).
> >
> > LH (please excuse duplicate messages--having mailer problems)
> > LH
> >
> > On Jan 12, 2021, at 3:22 PM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> wrote:
> >
> > Great work, Jon !  Here's a slightly earlier citation:
> >
> > 1787 _Pittsburgh Gazette_ 3 Mar. 4/1 (America's Historical Newspapers)  W.
> > FINNEY, Capt. first U. S. Reg.
> > NOTE:  This occurs in a notice dated 1786.
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 2:21 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Antedating "U.S."
> >
> > OED: 1834
> >
> > 1788 _Kentucky Gazette_ (Lexington) (Oct. 11) 1: Capt. 1st U.S. Reg.
> >
> > 1790 _Pennsylvania Packet_ (Phila.) (Apr. 26) 3: The bill for regulating
> > the military establishment of the U.S.
> >
> > 1791 _Aurora General Advertiser_ (Phila.) (Dec. 6) 4: Constitution of the
> > U.States....Laws of the U.S.
> >
> > 1797 _Hartford Courant_ (Sept. 11) 1: The part...will be lost by a division
> > of the U.S.
> >
> > 1798  _Spooner's Vermont Journal_ (Windsor, Vt.) (July 17) 2: It will be
> > proper to take into view the public audiance [sic] given to the late
> > Minister of the U.S. on his taking leave of the executive directory.
> >
> > 1807 _Public Advertiser_ (NYC) (Jan. 20) 2:  In the House of
> > Representatives of the U. States, on Thursday, Jan. 15, the bill providing
> > for the punishment of certain crimes against the U.S. was read the third
> > time and passed without a division.
> >
> > JL
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> >
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> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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