...a significant number of so-called Americanisms are in fact old English uses ..
Indeed. But not, apparently, 'cool', 'dump' or 'convince to'. The Oxford English Dictionary records their first uses in the new sense as occurring in 1948, 1963 and 1958 respectively - in all three cases in the USA. I was particularly interested in the reference given for 'convince to', which I thought might be older:
Quote:
1958 Word Study Oct. 5/2 Another usage?that seems to be becoming frequent in Pennsylvania and New York, is that of ‘convince’ in the sense of ‘persuade’, e.g., ‘She convinced him to clean the cellar’.
Quote:
[...] there is an energy and directness in the American vernacular that is quite infectious [... ] it is just so much more efficient and punchy [...]
Perhaps that's why we effete, condescending, hypocritical snobbish, tight-a***d (ah, I see I have to write 'tight-assed') English males of a certain age find it so threatening.