How to remove quotes from COPY TO result?

PostgreSQL 8.4.1

I have a table "abbreviation" created as follows:

id serial NOT NULL,
full_name character varying(16),
short_name character varying(16),

I import some data from a tab delimited text file like so:

1    "STREET"        "ST"
2    "ROAD"             "RD"

using COPY abbreviation FROM <<myfile>>

The data is imported but I want the character columns to be stripped of the enclosing double-quotes and they are not.
Whatdo I have to do?   

TIA

Michael Rowan
mike.rowan@internode.on.net

11 Kingscote Street
ALBERTON
South Australia 5014

tel 618 8240 3993