Cheers!
Noticing more people signing off e-mails with "cheers"? (If you get e-mails from me, you probably have.)
A story from the Chicago Tribune (that I read at OrlandoSentinel.com) has a story about the "trend."
So is cheers a trend?Why is it gaining in popularity? Here's an idea:
"If you notice cheers, and I notice cheers, it's a trend," confirms New York Times language czar William Safire. "My guess is cheers is a Britishism allied to 'cheerio' that we've picked up, but I wouldn't necessarily call cheers an affectation. It's more the globalization of language.
Cheers is a British form by way of Canada, originally voiced as a salutation before drinking. At some point, though, our Canadian neighbors turned cheers into a friendly, all-purpose exit line.
posted by Nicole @ 12:27 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Gee, and I always thought it was just a wire-service thing.
chrs,
doug
Huh? I've lived in Canada, worked in Canada and have beaucoup Canadian friends. I can't recall anybody saying "cheers." I think it's just Americans trying desperately to cheer each other up. It's a fun little greeting. That's it.
Lord knows most of us need all the cheering up we can get.
I think Brits also use it in place of "thanks."
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