[Haskell-cafe] Origins of (x:xs)?

[Toby Hutton]

Hi,

This may have been asked before, sorry if so.  I've wondered where the
convention of pattern matching a list to (x:xs) came from?  I've read a
couple of old papers recently which let me believe it may have started back
in the '70s with Miranda and its ilk.

Does anyone know why (x:xs)?  Is xs meant to be a synonym for 'excess'?

Yours curiously,
Toby.
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