Date   : Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:43:57 +0000
From   : Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk@...>
Subject: Re: Grammar

Colin wrote:
> Oh, before anyone goes and looks it up......
> 
> menu
> 1837, from Fr. menu de repas "list of what is served at a meal," from M.Fr.
> menu (adj.) "small, detailed," from L. minutus "small," lit. "made smaller,"
> pp. of minuere "to diminish," from PIE base *mei- "small." Computer usage is
> from 1971, from expanded sense of "any detailed list," first attested 1889.

Although 'menu' was used for the setup instructions for the Bombes used to 
help crack Enigma codes at Bletchley from 1940. I wouldn't go as far as to say 
that the Bombe was a computer as it lacks the flexibility, but it was a step 
in the right direction.

I'm not sure if it was ever used in subsequent work though; I've not come 
across the term in the context of any 1950's machines, say. Presumably that's 
because the Bletchley work was still classified and only started leaking out 
in the 1970's - if that hadn't been the case it may well have been a far more 
common term in the UK.

cheers

Jules