Date:    Thu, 30 Apr 1998 16:17:33 -0500
<br>From:    Shannon Detchemendy <detch[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UMR.EDU>
<br>Subject: Re: table-bussing
<br>
<br>Being a former waitress, I have heard the term "bus" a lot.  There is also
<br>the term "pre-bus" used to describe when a waitress comes to your table
<br>before you are ready to leave and takes your dirty plates etc...  I do not
<br>know the origins of either of these uses.  I do know that both are still
<br>frequently used in restaurant jargon.
<br>
<br>Shannon Detchemendy
<br>
<br>At 03:03 PM 4/30/98 GMT+1000, you wrote:
<br>>Dining-room staff in such establishments as McDonalds, I'm assured,
<br>>do a lot of table-bussing.  That is, they clear and wipe clean the
<br>>tables.
<br>>
<br>>I'm also assured that this is a recent import into Australian English
<br>>from American English.  I had imagined that it was a development of
<br>>buss = "kiss", until my colleague Bill Greaves (who's Canadian)
<br>>told me about bus-boys.  And the OED gives:
<br>>
<br>>Bus-boy:  see Omnibus
<br>>4. A man or boy who assists a waiter at an hotel, restaurant, etc.
<br>>
<br>>1888 Star 11 Aug. 4/5 To pay to what is known in a restaurant as an
<br>>`omnibus', i.e. a lad that clears the tables.
<br>>1897 Daily News 19 June 2/6 Omnibuses..apprentices- who wait on the
<br>>waiters.
<br>>
<br>>Is anyone familiar with the use of "bus" as a simple verb or in such
<br>>compounds as "table-bussing"?  My inadequate selection of American
<br>>dictionaries has revealed nothing as yet.
<br>>
<br>>
<br>>David Blair
<br>>Head of School
<br>>English, Linguistics & Media
<br>>MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY  NSW  2109  AUSTRALIA
<br>>Phone:  02 9850 8736    Fax:    02 9850 6900
<br>>
<br>>
<br>