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Charles Talbut Onions

Charles Talbut Onions (C. T. Onions) (10 September 1873 – 8 January 1965) was an English grammarian and lexicographer and the fourth editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

C. T. Onions

Life

Onions was born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, the eldest son of Ralph John Onions and Harriet, daughter of locksmith John Talbut. The Onions family were traditionally bellows-makers, but Ralph Onions was a designer and embosser in metal. Charles Onions said he was "the first not to make (his) living by using (his) hands". The name "Onions" derives from the Welsh "Einion".[1][2]

Onions early came under the influence of A. J. Smith, the headmaster of the King Edward VI Camp Hill School, where Onions received his first contact with lexicography.[3] He obtained a London BA in 1892 and an MA in 1895, both while attending Mason College (which later became the University of Birmingham).[4]

James Murray invited Onions to join the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) at Oxford in 1895, and in 1914 he began independent editorial work with his own assistants.[5] His Shakespeare Glossary was published in 1911; he co-edited Shakespeare's England: an account of the life and manners of his age (2 volumes; 1916) and, in 1933, he co-edited the OED Supplement with William Craigie. Following the death of William Little in 1922, he assumed the editorship of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

Onions served as a fellow and librarian of Magdalen College, Oxford. He was president of the Philological Society from 1929 to 1933 and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1938. On completion of the OED, the universities of Oxford, Leeds, and Birmingham conferred honorary degrees upon him. Onions was appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1934. In 1945 he succeeded R. W. Chambers as honorary director of the Early English Text Society and worked to extend its publishing program. He was editor of Medium Aevum, the journal of the Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature, from its inception in 1932 to 1956. Onions' last twenty years were largely devoted to completing The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (1966), which treated over 38,000 words and went to press just prior to his death.[6]

Personal life

In 1907 he married Angela (1883–1941), daughter of Rev. Arthur Blythman, rector of Shenington, and they had seven sons and three daughters. During World War I, Onions served in British naval intelligence where his knowledge of German proved a significant asset. For much of his life, Onions had a stutter.[7]

Archives

Onions' letters are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.[8]

References

  1. ^ J. A. W. Bennett, "Onions, Charles Talbut (1873–1965)," rev. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
  2. ^ Brief Lives, Paul Johnson, Arrow Books, 2011, p. 216
  3. ^ Bennett.
  4. ^ "C. T. Onions," Oxford English Dictionary website: "In 1914, he was appointed as the fourth editor and was responsible in that capacity for the sections Su-Sz, Wh-Working, and X, Y, Z. Onions enjoyed saying that he contributed the final entry to the Dictionary – a cross-reference Zyxt, which since it was 'the last word', was later made the name of a soap."
  5. ^ K. M. Elisabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words: James A. H. Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977), 281.
  6. ^ Bennett.
  7. ^ Bennett.
  8. ^ "UoB Calmview5: Search results". calmview.bham.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2021.

charles, talbut, onions, onions, september, 1873, january, 1965, english, grammarian, lexicographer, fourth, editor, oxford, english, dictionary, onions, mason, college, university, birmingham, contents, life, personal, life, archives, referenceslife, editonio. Charles Talbut Onions C T Onions 10 September 1873 8 January 1965 was an English grammarian and lexicographer and the fourth editor of the Oxford English Dictionary C T Onions Mason College now the University of Birmingham Contents 1 Life 2 Personal life 3 Archives 4 ReferencesLife EditOnions was born in Edgbaston Birmingham the eldest son of Ralph John Onions and Harriet daughter of locksmith John Talbut The Onions family were traditionally bellows makers but Ralph Onions was a designer and embosser in metal Charles Onions said he was the first not to make his living by using his hands The name Onions derives from the Welsh Einion 1 2 Onions early came under the influence of A J Smith the headmaster of the King Edward VI Camp Hill School where Onions received his first contact with lexicography 3 He obtained a London BA in 1892 and an MA in 1895 both while attending Mason College which later became the University of Birmingham 4 James Murray invited Onions to join the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary OED at Oxford in 1895 and in 1914 he began independent editorial work with his own assistants 5 His Shakespeare Glossary was published in 1911 he co edited Shakespeare s England an account of the life and manners of his age 2 volumes 1916 and in 1933 he co edited the OED Supplement with William Craigie Following the death of William Little in 1922 he assumed the editorship of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Onions served as a fellow and librarian of Magdalen College Oxford He was president of the Philological Society from 1929 to 1933 and was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1938 On completion of the OED the universities of Oxford Leeds and Birmingham conferred honorary degrees upon him Onions was appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1934 In 1945 he succeeded R W Chambers as honorary director of the Early English Text Society and worked to extend its publishing program He was editor of Medium Aevum the journal of the Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature from its inception in 1932 to 1956 Onions last twenty years were largely devoted to completing The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1966 which treated over 38 000 words and went to press just prior to his death 6 Personal life EditIn 1907 he married Angela 1883 1941 daughter of Rev Arthur Blythman rector of Shenington and they had seven sons and three daughters During World War I Onions served in British naval intelligence where his knowledge of German proved a significant asset For much of his life Onions had a stutter 7 Archives EditOnions letters are held at the Cadbury Research Library University of Birmingham 8 References Edit J A W Bennett Onions Charles Talbut 1873 1965 rev Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 Brief Lives Paul Johnson Arrow Books 2011 p 216 Bennett C T Onions Oxford English Dictionary website In 1914 he was appointed as the fourth editor and was responsible in that capacity for the sections Su Sz Wh Working and X Y Z Onions enjoyed saying that he contributed the final entry to the Dictionary a cross reference Zyxt which since it was the last word was later made the name of a soap K M Elisabeth Murray Caught in the Web of Words James A H Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary New Haven Yale University Press 1977 281 Bennett Bennett UoB Calmview5 Search results calmview bham ac uk Retrieved 19 February 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles Talbut Onions amp oldid 1073268531, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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