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#6760 - 09/21/00 01:18 AM animal crackers
johnjohn Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/00
Posts: 167
Loc: Australia
I wonder if there are any other words like foupe that can only be applied to animals not to humans? I have in mind the German distinction between "essen" and "fressen", the latter being the word for to eat applicable to animals only. I guess there are all the usual technical collective nouns like pride, herd, school, etc. Apart from that, anyone got any ideas? Many of them might be dysphemistic expressions for sexual intercourse, eg "rutting".


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#6761 - 09/21/00 01:42 AM Re: animal crackers
Max Quordlepleen Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/12/00
Posts: 3409
My grandparents insisted that only horses sweat, while men perspire and women glow.


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#6762 - 09/21/00 02:30 AM Re: animal crackers
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/22/00
Posts: 1981
>women glow

Your grandparents must have met mine. Except for the replacement at the end "ladies gently glow". I don't think ladies ever played squash or ran marathons in those days.


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#6763 - 09/21/00 05:27 AM Re: animal crackers
Max Quordlepleen Offline
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Registered: 08/12/00
Posts: 3409
You're right, of course. It was "ladies", not "women." At least they made sure that I said "wimmin", the increasingly endangered pronunciation of that plural.


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#6764 - 09/21/00 06:10 AM Re: animal crackers
Jackie Offline
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Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
Well, not many humans neigh or canter, meow or purr.
I've never heard of one being lop-eared. Also, there is a word for "having wings" that of course I can't think of!


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#6765 - 09/21/00 06:20 AM Re: animal crackers
wsieber Offline
old hand

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 1010
Loc: Switzerland
In that context it may be interesting to mention that German "Futter" is only used for animal food (even though these words have the same root). On the other hand Grzimek's animal encyclopedia uses "essen" for all animals throughout (where commonly "fressen" is used).


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#6766 - 09/21/00 07:40 AM Re: animal crackers
RhubarbCommando Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 08/23/00
Posts: 2204
I've never heard of one being lop-eared.

How about Captain Jenkins? There was a war fought because his ear was lopped.


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#6767 - 09/21/00 09:36 AM Re: animal crackers
tsuwm Online   confused
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/03/00
Posts: 10464
Loc: this too shall pass
>;having wings

the biologists would say 'alar'

and, on the animalistic theme, there is blissom (he added sheepishly).



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#6768 - 09/21/00 10:13 AM Re: animal crackers
Jackie Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 11579
Loc: Louisville, Kentucky
"Alate"! That's what I was looking for! Thanks, tsuwm!


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#6769 - 09/21/00 01:35 PM Re: animal crackers
AnnaStrophic Offline
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Registered: 03/15/00
Posts: 6511
Loc: lower upstate New York
In that context it may be interesting to mention that German "Futter" is only used for animal food (even though these words have the same root).

We have a similar distinction in English, come to think of it. "Food" is used for people and pets, while "feed" is used for livestock. I don't know what you'd call it if you had a pet goat or pig, though.


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