At 22:36 15/07/2002 -0700, Chris VE7HCB wrote:
>I looked in my small dictionaries and could not find it. That is the
>Concise Oxford (UK), New Webster (US) and Gage (CA)
>
>Chris opr VE7HCB
>
However the Oxford English Dictionary gives the following:
irre_gardless, a. and adv. Chiefly N. Amer.
[Prob. blend of irrespective and regardless.]
In non-standard or humorous use: regardless.
1912 in Wentworth Amer. Dial. Dict.
1923 Lit. Digest 17 Feb. 76 Is there such a word as irregardless in the
English language?
1934 in Webster (labelled Erron. or Humorous, U.S.).
1938 I. Kuhn Assigned to Adventure xxx. 310, I made a grand entrance and
suffered immediate and complete obliteration, except on the pay-roll, which
functioned automatically to present me with a three-figure cheque every
week, _irregardless', as Hollywood says.
1939 C. Morley Kitty Foyle xxvii. 267 But she can take things in her
stride, irregardless what's happened.
1955 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. xxiv. 19, I don't think like other people do
and irregardless of how much or how little dope would cost me [etc.].
1970 Current Trends in Linguistics X. 590 She tells the pastor that he
should please quit using the word _irregardless' in his sermons as there is
no such word.
1971 M. McShane Man who left Well Enough iv. 96 The sun poured down on
Purity irregardless of the fact that it received no welcome.
It would appear to be some sort of bastard word used, or mis-used, on the
other side of the pond :)
Chris
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