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USn appeals to the precisian in me
It is also a pun, a play on words, because it has two almost-appropriate meanings at the same time, and puns are greatly appreciated on AWAD (no matter how much we proclaim we condemn them).
USns is "us" meaning second-person-plural-accusative pronoun, and simultaneously it is US meaning United States [of America].
Then it is combined with the -n ending, meaning [sometimes] coming from, as in "America -> American;" and also a double meaning as an abbreviation of "one:" a "young one" becomes a "young'un" and then gets to be made plural and used (colloquially) in "we'uns" and "they'uns" and further mis-used as "us'ns." The apostrophe and the letter u are dropped, as unnecessary, in USns.
And finally it sounds informal, so there is the pretense of ignorance as justification for the substandard phrasing.
Who would have thought there could be so much involved in three or four innocent-looking little letters! :-)
Moderated by Jackie
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