[Ads-l] jeepney (1946)

[Ben Zimmer]

The OED has been adding many entries from Philippine English, but they have
yet to revise the entry for "jeepney" meaning "a jitney bus converted from
a jeep." The earliest citation given by OED2 is simply the entry
from Webster's Third New International (1961). The online version of
Merriam-Webster's Unabridged currently dates "jeepney" to circa 1949, but
m-w.com (based on the Collegiate) has a date of 1946. Here it is from that
year.

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https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-jeepney/176402869/
New York Daily News, Oct. 8, 1946, p. 32, col. 2
The jeep has found a new and lucrative use in Manila by being converted
into a taxicab known as a jeepney, seating eight passengers besides the
driver.
These taxi conversion jobs cost $150 to $400, depending on the degree of
comfort desired. Several thousand jeepneys now ply Manila's streets, in
addition to four times the prewar number of other automotive vehicles.
Jeepneys are supposed to ply regular routes at a fare equivalent to five
American cents. These jeep-converted taxis, painted garish hues of yellow,
green and blue, usually bear the names of female movie stars or slogans,
such as, "I will return," "God is my Copilot," etc.
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--bgz

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