Message-ID: <000301c34a3f$561ad520$72ce28c3@captbrian>
From: "captbrian" <captbrian@ukonline.co.uk>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 20:36:27 +0100
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Subject: LF: YL  XYL  YF  PR?
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No. Remember this was all devised long before  before ww2.

OM  equalled "old man" as a form of address  of  pre-war everyday useage
similar to "mate" or "chum" today  .
YL equalled  Young Lady  - ie   "my girl-friend " or even " steady " today.

. In polite pre-war days courtship had serious and honourable intentions so
it was assumed that courtship ended in marriage not just an "affaire".

After marrying the "Young Lady"  she became  ex-Young-Lady.  Hence XYL - not
an insult but a compliment.

When I was a bright-eyed teenager (around the beginning of time according to
my grandchildren now ) YF was equally common-place morse usage  for Wife,
but that seems to have died.

Of course,  if so called same-sex marriages catch on  a whole new raft of
abbreviations could be devised !!

' Morse code usage is a living social history ' -   discuss. ;-))


Bryan  G3GVB


-----Original Message-----
From: Alberto di Bene <dibene@usa.net>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org <rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org>
Date: 14 July 2003 14:51
Subject: Re: LF: Re: stress with xyl


>Hugh M0WYE wrote:
>
>>I can't understand how the CW abreviation XYL came about. Please check my
>>
>>
>OM stands for Old Man and YL stands for Young Lady, supposedly the wife
>of the old man.
>XYL was introduced to indicate a next-to-become YL, i.e. the fiancee,
>before marriage.
>Then it became customary to indicate the wife with XYL, but the correct
>way should be YL.
>
>73  Alberto  I2PHD
>
>
>
>
>