About four and a half years ago, I wrote to the Oxford English Dictionary about the word “absent” in its prepositional sense (“absent X, we cannot do Y”). The word had been listed as “quasi-prepositional,” and the first recorded use was listed as 1944. I found a 1888 use, and questioned why “quasi.” I’m glad to report that now, if you look up “absent” in the OED, you see that it’s now a full-fledged preposition — no more quasi — and its first recorded use is:
1888 Southwestern Reporter 8 898 If the deed had been made by a stranger to the wife, then a separate estate in her would not have been created, absent the necessary words.
Similarly, I also wrote to the OED about the use of “Mirandize” as a verb. They listed it, but their first recorded use was 1984. I gave them a 1971 usage. Sure enough, now we see:
1971 California Reporter 96 128/1 The Court did not Mirandize the defendant.
Surely now I’ve hit the big time.