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The Pook #175843 04/15/08 01:38 AM
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Regardless of the way we would like people to use words, they will use them as they see fit. In the United States, most people are in a hurry to say what they want, and will shorten to the bare minimum to get there faster. This is why terms like "iced cream", "skimmed milk" and "creamed cheese" have been shortened, even officially, to "ice cream" (which never made sense to me as a child - there's no ice in it!), "skim milk" and "cream cheese". No one here would bother for long saying "Lego bricks"; I've never heard anyone say that, only "Legos". The LEGO Group is very aggressive in protecting their LEGO name. They own both lego.com and legos.com, although the latter will get you redirected to the former. They do not consider LEGO a noun at all; to them it is to be used only as an adjective. I think most Americans would be surprised to hear there is anything wrong with saying "Legos". I'm not defending or endorsing it, just reporting "the way it is", like tsuwm said. :0)

Buffalo Shrdlu #175844 04/15/08 01:43 AM
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 Originally Posted By: etaoin
> "let's get your Lego out,"

and the poor kid would think that he only had one brick.

Are you people serious? You really call one brick a Lego? Okay, so it's dialectic then. But to me there's no such thing as A Lego. It's just Lego. Like Jello. Or Oregano.

 Originally Posted By: etaoin
how many horse you got?

How many sheeps do you have?

twosleepy #175845 04/15/08 02:00 AM
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 Originally Posted By: twosleepy
Regardless of the way we would like people to use words, they will use them as they see fit. In the United States, most people are in a hurry to say what they want, and will shorten to the bare minimum to get there faster. ..."Lego bricks"; I've never heard anyone say that, only "Legos".

I understand that - Australians are even lazier than Americans when it comes to contractions. Which is probably why we economise even further and don't bother to put 's' on the end. Why would you say "let's play with your Legos" when you can say let's play with your Lego" and it means the same thing. It's the same as saying "Let's play with your X-box" except that it's a brand name that describes a toy which has a number of component parts. The parts themselves are not individually named a lego - they are called bricks. I accept that if that is the way Americans use the term then dialectically and colloquially it has come to have that meaning. But "it's not logical Captain." \:\)

The Pook #175847 04/15/08 02:09 AM
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Heaps of Sheeps over here

olly #175848 04/15/08 02:38 AM
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Great picture, olly! \:D

For me and my kids, it was always one lego, and two or more legos.

What's that thing with kudos, again please? There's no such thing as a kudo? Or something like that.

P.S.--nearly forgot: welcome aBoard, doc!

The Pook #175852 04/15/08 03:06 AM
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 Originally Posted By: The Pook
The parts themselves are not individually named a lego - they are called bricks. I accept that if that is the way Americans use the term then dialectically and colloquially it has come to have that meaning. But "it's not logical Captain." \:\)


I must beg to differ! I think part of the problem is that in the US, anyway, much of what are called "Legos" are specifically not bricks by any stretch of the imagination! Legos come in sets with people, parts of costumes, windows, doors, platforms, wheels, axles, lights, gears etc. etc. etc. Yes, "bricks" are still used, but there are so many more "non-bricks", that the term "Legos" seems to cover them all, and that's logical, Cap'n! :0)

olly #175854 04/15/08 03:16 AM
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 Originally Posted By: olly
Heaps of Sheeps over here


hahahahahaha. Only in New Zealand! \:D

But is it a Lego Sheep, or a Legos Sheeo?

The Pook #175856 04/15/08 03:37 AM
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>But is it a Lego Sheep, or a Legos Sheeo? [sic]

it's a Lego Sheep, as it's used in the original adjectival sense there.

but here are some legos that are sheep, etc.

-joe (sheepishly) friday


twosleepy #175858 04/15/08 07:41 AM
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 Quote:
I must beg to differ! I think part of the problem is that in the US, anyway, much of what are called "Legos" are specifically not bricks by any stretch of the imagination! Legos come in sets with people, parts of costumes, windows, doors, platforms, wheels, axles, lights, gears etc. etc. etc. Yes, "bricks" are still used, but there are so many more "non-bricks", that the term "Legos" seems to cover them all, and that's logical, Cap'n! :0)
The "the war of the bricks" \:\) , true, the simple brick collection is becoming rare. Even the name Lego is lost for these new specific items. They ask 'Bionicals' on their wish-list. Lego is forgotten. But they ask for the Lego castle, the Lego pirate ship. Never seen it with an s here.
Legos would be as unfamiliar to us as Lego is to you.

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but here are some legos that are sheep, etc.

Which illustrates that many items have nothing to do with bricks any more.

No ice in ice cream, twosleepy? We call it 'ice' or ijsje. The cream is not mentioned at all and the good ice cream should have a texture that 'shows' the ice in it.(imo)

BranShea #175859 04/15/08 08:43 AM
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 Originally Posted By: BranShea
No ice in ice cream, twosleepy? We call it 'ice' or ijsje. The cream is not mentioned at all and the good ice cream should have a texture that 'shows' the ice in it.(imo)

That reminds me, I seem to remember in old British literature of the 20th century it being called an 'ice lolly' or something similar.

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