Winsor Crosby wrote:
> This American has never heard it. I suspect it is contractor lingo.
>
No, has its roots in railroad slang for refrigerator car. Widely used,
or at least used to be, in the food supply business and the US miiltary.
It was the name for the walk in refrigerators on the ships I served on.
"ree·fer /ˈrifər/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[*ree*-fer]
–noun Informal.
1. a refrigerator, esp. one large enough to be walked into.
2. a refrigerator car, ship, truck, etc.
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[Origin: 1910–15; alter. and shortening of refrigerator]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006."
I've heard and used it in a number of places, but would not have used it
for a home refrigerator.
Moose
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