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#6760 09/21/00 05:18 AM
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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".


#6761 09/21/00 05:42 AM
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My grandparents insisted that only horses sweat, while men perspire and women glow.


#6762 09/21/00 06:30 AM
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>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.


#6763 09/21/00 09:27 AM
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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.


#6764 09/21/00 10:10 AM
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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!


#6765 09/21/00 10:20 AM
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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).


#6766 09/21/00 11:40 AM
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I've never heard of one being lop-eared.

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


#6767 09/21/00 01:36 PM
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>;having wings

the biologists would say 'alar'

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



#6768 09/21/00 02:13 PM
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"Alate"! That's what I was looking for! Thanks, tsuwm!


#6769 09/21/00 05:35 PM
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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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