excerpts from former postings:

Stan Kelly-Bootle:... A usage worthy of comment: the driver says of the road “It abuts at the forest.” Pedants would normally say (transitively!) “It abuts the forest,” since the “at” is already embedded in the prefix “a-” (via Latin “ad”) of “a-but.” Since “it abuts” is uncommonly posh (compared with “it borders”), one is left wondering why the driver’s grammar is rather peccably colloquial?

Jansy Mello: ...The wiktionary, on "abut," ...suggests a subreptitious French influence :"...From Middle English abutten, from Old French abouter, aboter (“to border on”); compare French aboutir, and also abuter; a (Latin ad) + Old French boter, buter (“to push”). Compare French bout (“end”), and but (“end, purpose”)." Perhaps, like Homais, a driver also nods.

Alexey Sklyarenko: [ ] When Van, leaving Ardis in a family motorcar, asks Bouteillan to move from his seat at the steering wheel, the butler (whose name comes from bouteille, "bottle") bids Van to drive carefully [...]"Bouteillan put on a captain's cap, too big for him, and grape-blue goggles; 'remouvez votre bottom, I will drive,' said Van - and the summer of 1884 was over.[ ].."'Non, Monsieur,' answered Bouteillan, holding on to his cap. 'Non. Tout simplement j'aime bien Monsieur et sa demoiselle'."

Jansy Mello: What a series of coincidences (they don't seem to have been deliberately planted by VN) !

1.SKB selects a quote about the driver's use of "abut";

2. JM "hears" something French in it and suggests "abouter/aboutir"

3.AS discusses corkscrews and butler-driver Bouteillan's ease with the French.

However, it's worth reconsidering SKB's warning note about the driver's "posh" use of "it abuts," when other words might have fit in as well.