Will writes:
>The terms in question are "near side" and "off side," meaning as best as I
>can fathom the left and right hand side of the car, from an occupant's
>perspective. All is fine, except I would guess that the "near" side ought
>to be the driver's side (i.e. the side closest to the driver, which it
>ain't) and the "off" side ought to be the passenger side (the side away
>from the driver, which it ain't, either). Can anyone who speaks
>non-American English as a native explain? The only way I can see this
>making sense is from the perspective of a stander-by, on the curb of the
>road. In that case, the near side is closest to the person and the off
>side is towards the center of the road. Something tells me I'm getting a
>bit too clever with this explanation, tho.
I'm hardly a language expert, but I believe the terms
predate the automobile. The terms were (and are) used in
reference to horses, both with and without carrages. The
near side is the side from which you mount the horse. This
is always the left side. My Webster's Ninth New Collegiate
defines near as the left one of a pair and off as the far or
right side (also as the seaward side!)
Mike Cogswell m.cogswell@zds.com
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