On 24 Nov 2007, at 12:08, Terry Streeter wrote: > BARRY HOLLAND wrote: >> To continue the naval theme :- 'bosun' is a contraction of >> 'boatswain'---& there aren't any apostrophes in sight! > > If bosun is a contraction of boatswain, where did the "u" appear from?
That's a contraction of 'w' :-} -- Andy Greener n.b. Whisper Pangbourne, UK http://www.nb-whisper.com "Standards are an endurance sport."
