Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 15:24:43 -0800 From: Judith Rascoe Subject: where did _this_ come from? In an American textbook, "The New Business Arithmetic", 1906, I came across a set of questions all framed in the same form: 'What cost 218 gallons of syrup at 50cents per gallon?' 'What cost 26840 yards of calico at 8 1/3 cents per yard?' The "What cost [sub]" is grammatically correct, but it seems very archaic even for l906. Or was it? Can anybody explain this usage? The numerous very-American items mentioned in the book lead me to believe it's not a translation from another language.