Till and "til

Most of us think that the word "till" means a money drawer or describes what you do to a field before planting.

But we don't think of it as meaning the same as the word "until." It does. "Till" was a word long before anyone uttered the word "until."

In our parents' day, the teachers did not accept "'til" in essays. They insisted that the full word "until" be used. Very few teachers suggested the use of "till."

Nowadays, everybody is using "'til." Its usage is growing.

Poor "till" is fading into the shadows. If you do run across "till," it will probably be used by someone with at least a college degree or two. It's a perfectly good word, and it came first.