Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 08:56:56 -0500 From: Alan Baragona Subject: Beetle A recent NYT article said that the Times was the first to describe the Volkswagen as a "beetle." RHD doesn't list "Beetle" as a car, and I don't have access to OED2 here at the moment. Could someone with access to Lexis confirm whether "Beetle" as a name for the car predates the Times reference? And if there isn't one in print, is there any indication from the Times whether it was coining the term or reflecting usage in speech at the time? Alan B.