Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/21

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Off-List
From: Chandos Michael Brown <cmbrow@mail.wm.edu>
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 15:36:29 -0500

I love this sort of thing:

Oxford English Dictionary:

Unquote (vb., intrans.)  Used as a formula in dictation, etc.: terminate
the quotation. 

OED cites ee cummings (1935) and--this ought to cinch it--the -New Yorker-
(1969).

No editor of whom I am aware would challenge the OED in matters of usage.

CH


At 03:13 PM 1/21/99 -0500, you wrote:
>"Unquote" is absurd in American English and is never seen.  It is assuredly
>not used in Telex communications.  "End Quote" is normal.  I review a
>number of business Telex's in the course of my law practice, and have never
>seen "unquote" used in the way you suggest, though it might have been so
>used, back in the '30's, when you could have gotten a discount for the use
>of one word (UNQUOTE) in place of two (END QUOTE).  Certainly, all
>government and military communications have always used END QUOTE.
>
>Sorry, but you're wrong, at least for present usage.
>
>Marc
>
>msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
>Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!
>