Burgh
- pronounced burg
- meaning an abbreviated term for Pittsburgh; with commercial origins (1993) in an ad campaign sponsored by Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and most familiar in the phrase, "It's a 'Burgh thing" -- implying an understanding and an appreciation that can only be possessed by natives or those truly "in the know;" with perhaps a certain glibness and cockiness betraying its origins
- as in
authority Rouvalis, Cristina. "Pittsburgh Brewing Sees Sales Flowing, 'Burgh Thing' Ad Campaign Credited for Turnaround." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 13 March 1993, B-12.
and the use of the "h" in the spelling of Pittsburgh goes back to its naming by General John Forbes, who by letter from "Pittsborough" on 27 November 1758, notified William Pitt that: "I have used the freedom of giving your name to Fort Du Quesne, as I hope it was in some measure the being actuated by your spirits that now makes us Masters of the place." During the period 1890-1911, the United States Board on Geographic Names decreed (for the sake of uniformity) that Pittsburgh be spelled without the "h." Pittsburghers fought the decision and the Board ultimately reversed itself.
Sources:
- Bouchette, Ed. "Mayor [Masloff] Brings a 'Burgh Thing.'" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 28 July 1993, D-1.
Jacobs, Andrea. "Local Youth Embrace Pope's Message." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 August 1993, D-1.
How To Spell Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Department Website.

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