[quote=@whizzball1]
<Snipped quote by Legend>

Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Chapter 5, Section 17.2.4 (specifically, pages 491-495).

Yes, I did have that saved for exactly this moment. I knew it would come. [s]not really but still[/s]

EDIT: Just in case you say "It's British so it's wrong," the Linguistic Society of [i]America[/i] awarded it with the Leonard Bloomfield Book Award, which awards a recently published book for making an "outstanding contribution to the development of our understanding of language and linguistics".
[/quote]

The Oxford Dictionaries have an article on the usage, saying that it dates back to the 16th century.

EDIT: I'm considering all of the English language, but that argument is invalid. Simply because an American society awarded it for being accurate doesn't mean that it applies to American linguistics. America can also award a "Best British History Book" prize, but that doesn't translate to being accepted American history.