Date:  Tue, 30 Jan 1996 15:10:09 -0500

From:  "Winfield, Laurie" <lwinfield[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RINET.HUNTON.COM>

Subject: Re: why are ships referred to as she (f



I did the same with my '62 Fury, Wally! Miss him a lot.   --Winfield

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From: American Dialect Society

To: Multiple recipients of list ADS

Subject: Re: why are ships referred to as she (f

Date: Tuesday, January 30, 1996 2:14PM



'She' is the "pronoun of endearment." Not just sports cars and ships.

If you drive up to a full-service gas pump, would you tell the attendant,

"Fill 'im up"? 'Course not. It'd be, "Fill 'er up." A female friend of

mine drives an old car and doesn't like to pump her own gas; she tells

the attendant to "fill him up" and always gets strange looks in return,

as well as more costly service.  DMLance