abbreviation of United Kingdom, attested from 1883.
style of U.K. pop music, 1957, from U.S. slang meaning "type of jazz played on improvised instruments" (1926), which is of uncertain origin.
"send by post," 1828, American English, from mail (n.1). "The usual word in the U.K. is still post" [OED]. Related: Mailed; mailing; mailable. Mailing list "register of addresses" is attested from 1876.
American English shortening of mathematics, 1890; the British preference, maths, is attested from 1911. "Math. is used as an abbreviation in written English in the U.K. but not in speech, the normal form being Maths" [OED].
"one who travels about selling small wares which he carries with him," late 14c., pedelere (c. 1300 as a surname, Will. Le Pedelare), altered from peoddere, peddere (c. 1200, mid-12c. as a surname), which probably is from Medieval Latin pedarius "one who goes on foot" [The Middle English Compendium], from Latin pes (genitive pedis) "foot," from PIE root *ped- "foot." Middle English ped "panier, wicker basket" is a back-formation from pedder. Pedlar, preferred spelling in U.K., is attested from late 14c.
"above or beyond the proper amount or degree," mid-15c., from over (adv.) + -ly. Old English had oferlice "excessively." Used colloquially in place of over- in certain situations. After Old English and until 20c., the word is mostly in Scottish and American English and was often "regarded as an Americanism in the U.K." [OED].
plural possessive pronoun, c. 1200, from Old Norse þierra "of them," genitive of plural personal and demonstrative pronoun þeir "they" (see they). Replaced Old English hiera. As an adjective from late 14c. Use with singular objects, scorned by grammarians, is attested from c. 1300, and OED quotes this in Fielding, Goldsmith, Sydney Smith, and Thackeray. Theirs (c. 1300) is a double possessive. Alternative form theirn (1836) is attested in Midlands and southern dialect in U.K. and the Ozarks region of the U.S.
1965, apparently coined by U.K. politician Iain Macleod (1913-1970), from stag(nation) + (in)flation.
Attacking the Government's economic policy last night in the House of Commons, Mr. Iain Macleod (West Enfield - Con.) the Opposition spokesman on Treasury and economic affairs, described the present situation in Britain as "stagflation" — stagnation and inflation together. [Glasgow Herald, Nov. 18, 1965]
