abuse of terminology was Re: [geeks] Booze and Religion and DIETS

[Mike Meredith]

On Monday 11 March 2002 12:31, Dave McGuire wrote:>
>   I was putting a SkyCache dish antenna up in my backyard in Maryland
> about four years ago, and a neighbor walked by and said "hey, you got
> a satellite!"  I responded with "no, General Electric has the
> satellite, I just catch the RF with this antenna."  He walked away
> very confused, and probably thought I was nuts.

Well we call them "satellite dishes", as prompted to by the people who 
distribute the blasted things. If they were to call them RF arials, 
very few would buy them --- you can't receive TV over the radio .. can 
you ?

(don't answer that)

>   Then there are the "verticals" hanging against the sliding glass

Verticals? WTF? They certainly aren't called that here. They're blinds 
whether they're horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

>   Common language is littered with shit like this, and it really
> grinds on my nerves for some reason.  Non-US people: Does this stuff
> happen in your circles as badly as it happens here?

I can't think of any examples, but yes it does happen to an extent 
here. Doesn't particularly bother me; at least nowhere near as much as 
"cute" spellings :-

Ye Olde Vynne Inne
Kat Krunches
etc.