Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mcvax!ukc!icdoc!cdsm
From: cdsm@doc.ic.ac.uk (Chris Moss)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: "Presently" ?= "Now"
Message-ID: <372@ivax.doc.ic.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 12-Nov-86 08:52:07 EST
Article-I.D.: ivax.372
Posted: Wed Nov 12 08:52:07 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Nov-86 02:02:27 EST
References: <734@argon.idec.stc.co.uk> <192@einode.UUCP> <442@cdx39.UUCP> <741@argon.idec.stc.co.uk>
Reply-To: cdsm@doc.ic.ac.uk (Chris Moss)
Organization: Dept. of Computing, Imperial College, London, UK.
Lines: 8

Someone asked for a British definition of "presently". Here's one from
the Penguin English dictionary - admittedly not high class but the only
one I have in the office:

    presently   adv after a short time, soon; (US) at present, now.

i.e. the US usage isn't regarded as an alternative in Britain, though it 
is obviously acknowledged.