I use my 1961 Webster\u27s Third New International Dictionary, backed up by a 1945 Second Edition. I was raised, literally, on an old Funk and Wagnalls which lifted my five inches closer to the dining room table top

Grieshaber, George J.

English

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19 but weath­oozing by one nperfections, reat sati sfac­~ill approach :e make shim i described tter- string .ENOl ~E, NO? ~turn to a dis­:alizes dam­levil to flouri sh. lj oy working position of pal-n Common, the author of rs for one do1­; by II Nipper " ) at everyone I id. If they I II d politely 211 "EVERYBODY LOVES A BABY • • • " GEORGEJ.GRlliSHABER Wyoming, Ohio I use my 1961 Webster's Third New International Dictionary, backed up by a 1945 Second Edition. I was raised, literally, on an old Funk and Wagnalls which lifted me five inches closer to the dining room table top . When a good friend asked me to acquire for him a Second Edition, I checked our local used book store s - - and found none. One manager said he gets a copy only when he buys a whole library from an estate. Would he save a copy for me? He has a standing offer from a certain company of $ 75 for each Second Edition in good condition. He said that he believed they like the regular letters for pronunciation versus the signs and schwas used in the Third. The next day, I found in a good-will second-hand shop a First Edition dated 1920 for only $ 5, so I picked it up for another reference work. In glancing over my three big Websters, I happened to compare the word 11 baby" and its compounds or related words. I made a gyne­cological study of the listings: their beginnings, changes, retentions, and deletions . Here are three columns of words, with some notes on their development through the gestation periods of 25 and 16 years in the three dictionaries. Anyone whose life-span encompasses the full term will recognize some of the reasons and periods for various coin­age s. (B) means that the word was banished to the limbo of below the line in the earlier volumes (all words in Webster's Third have equal rights) . 1920 1945 1961 baby (babe) baby (babe) baby (babe) baby blue baby blue baby blue baby blue eye s baby blue eyes baby blue eye s baby primro se baby primrose baby primrose baby's breath baby's breath (B) baby's breath baby farm baby farm baby farm babyish babyish babyish babish (B) babish babish babyhood ( B) babyhood (B) babyhood baby bottle baby jumper babyolatry (B) 212 baby fern ( B) baby fern baby pin (B) baby pin babies J feet (B) babies I feet (B) babies J toes (B) babies I toes (B) babies I slippers (B) babies I slippers (B) baby act baby act baby lace baby lace babyhous~ babyhouse babyship "( B) babyship (B) babeship (B) babeship baby ribbon baby ribbon babehood (B) babehood babyism (B) babyism (B) babydom ( B) babydom (B) baby threader (B) baby threader baby heathberry baby seal baby bunting Baby Volstead Act babyfied babe-faced babylike (B) baby pink baby pink baby orchid baby orchid baby rambler baby rambler baby talk baby talk baby eyes baby eyes baby tears baby (baby' 8) tears baby bond baby bond baby beef baby beef baby grand baby grand baby buggy (carriage) baby carrier (flattop) baby coach baby face baby Louis heel baby-minder (sitter) baby-pig disease baby spot baby tooth baby walker It is interesting to note that we men had a 11 baby b1ue 11 way back in 1920, but Women' s Libbers had to wait many years to get 11 baby pink" listed in Webster's Second! Why anyone would drop "baby bottle 11 in 1945 is hard to understand, because that type of feeding has been increasing since 1920. Possibly the meaning of the two sep­arate words was so obvious that the editors saw no advantage in contin­uing to list them. This reason may have spelled the demise of several other words as well. But why did i back to Adam (0 tions containing 11 baby eyes, feet £lowe r and plant corning in wi th tJ Fir st. The Writl member what th€ ever, that the fee the icebox.) And he had to wait un In 1945 they ( mean that there i 'I baby bunting" VI mother is singin~ hunting for? The set of measles, 1 II Babyship" a rier" does. And sense baby carri( way back, but chi Some unfortur gallantly above th Noah III gave ther the head and shou least, the life of c pink orchid rambler talk eyes (baby's) tears bond beef grand buggy (carriage) carrier (flattop) coach face Louis heel ·minder (sitter) .pig disease spot tooth walker >lue l1 way back s to get 11 baby drop II baby pe of feeding .g of the two sep­Ivantage in contin­demise of several 213 But why did it take until 1961 to recognize 11 baby tooth l1 which goes back to Adam (or did he skip them?)? Of cour se, some word- combina-. tions containing 11 baby l1 refer to other things; the seemingly- obvious II baby eyes, feet, toes, slippers, tears, and breath l1 are all in the flower and plant families. 11 Baby Volstead Act l1 was most ephemeral, coming in wi th the Eighteenth Amendment and going out with the Twenty­First. The writer did 11 baby- sit" as far back as 1922, but cannot re­member what the occupation was then termed. (He does recall, how­ever, that the fee was 50 cents per evening, with snacks allowed from the icebox.) And though the song II Baby Face" was copyrighted in 1926, he had to wait until 1961 for the definition I In 1945 they dropped II babyolatryll , or child worship - - doe s this mean that there is not as much the se days to justify the word? And II baby bunting" went out in 1961. How will today' s children learn what mother is singing" bye" to? Does anyone recall what daddy went a­hunting for? The addition of "baby spot" has nothing to do with the on­set of measles, but refers to a small spotlight used in stage productions. 11 Babyship" and 1\ babeship l1 do not refer to ve ssels. but" baby car­rier II does. And though tt baby buggy" and tt baby carriage" are in a sense baby carriers, they are just plain perambulators or prams (from way back, but chiefly British) . Some unfortunate. words started lowlily below the line, later rose gallantly above the line, but had their hopes and ratings dashed when Noah III gave them the axe. Someone said, 11 To bring in a new word by the head and shoulders, they leave out the old one'l. Such is life - - at least, the life of a word. 

Everybody Loves a Baby ...

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Everybody Loves a Baby ...

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