Here's an interesting speculation on the Excelsior question from a
nonsubscribing friend of mine ...
 
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 21:13:45 -0700
From: EJ Eckert <[log in to unmask]>
To: Andrew Walter Sparling <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: need help with translation (fwd)
 
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 09:30:43 +3
>From: [log in to unmask]
>To: Multiple recipients of list TYPO-L <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: need help with translation
>
>"Excelsior" was used when I was a youngster to mean flimsy-type paper,
>though not something that envelopes would be made of. Perhaps the
>envelopes were to be wrapped in bundles of 500 in excelsior paper...
>I don't know the origin of this usage, but it might have been a
>trade name.
>Ken.
 
OK, maybe the "excelsior, 500 count" refers to flimsy-type paper that gets
stuffed _inside_ an envelope, like those liners-I've-never-understood that
go inside wedding invitations?
 
Eileen