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#19064 02/22/01 02:57 PM
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Just had to respond to this one. While volunteering to listen to 5th graders read, one mother, said the book her student was reading should be banned. "Why" I said, "Well it talks about gays and fairies" OK, what is the title "The Secret Garden" she said. Well, if it is the same as the Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie, I said, the word gay must mean happy as it used in the Victorian days. NO she insisted. Wellshow me the page---she said it is on the first page, the sentence read "Mary was bored as a child, because while her father either worked or drank socially, her mother amused herself by attending gay parties with her female friends" (happy parties) and the fairy part--Well the sentence said "Mary met a fair young man in her garden, he was so small,fair and fine, he almost looked like a girl." When I explained it is not a bad book, WOW was she hot---then she became defensive. Ignorance is bliss--not in this case!!!

enthusiast


enthusiast
#19065 02/22/01 03:24 PM
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My favorite, from the old comic strip Bloom County is "small house apes."

Research into kid, Kind and child indicates that there is no known relation among the three words. Kid traces back to Old Norse through Middle English (probably entered the language during the days of the Danelaw and refers to antelope young as well as goat young), child traces back no further that Old English cild. Kind traces back to Indo European and is distantly related to the English kin and king and such diverse words as gentile and naive See http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE143.html


#19066 02/22/01 10:55 PM
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Not to throw a monkey wrench into the works ... but ... what about "Kiddies?"
As in when inquiring about a friend's childen : "How are all the kiddies?"
wow


#19067 02/22/01 11:32 PM
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des Offline OP
journeyman
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I guess I would say "How are all your little ones?" But I am sure I must have heard kiddies used.


#19068 02/23/01 08:32 PM
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I have a 17 year old son who uses the word "gay" to mean anything that is totally "uncool", for instance, having to wear pants that aren't at least 2 inches longer than shoe level. I also have an uncle named Gaylord, who is anything but "gay". When I learned that the term gay was used for homosexual, I had trouble calling him Uncle Gay. I too would be glad for the terminology to change back to its original meaning.
Satin



#19069 02/23/01 10:29 PM
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old hand
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well, well, well, the millennial member speaks.

Welcome a-Board satin. Can we call ya Beelzebub?


#19070 02/24/01 04:09 AM
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Welcome to you, satin, and never mind the post that followed yours, especially if you didn't read the thread
where a whole bunch of discussion went on about who the
2000th AWADtalk member would be. It turned out to be you!
Did you receive a prize? The beelzebub ref. was to a misunderstanding in that thread, not to yourself, Dear.

I've got two teens, and I know what you mean.


#19071 02/24/01 02:47 PM
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Kiddy/kiddies is used in the retail market to describe any product made for children. eg. kiddy foam bath


#19072 02/24/01 04:28 PM
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Not just any product! I don't think the "depth's of marketing" would go for kiddie Tylenol (almost as bad as the "kiddie cigarettes" (candy) of my youth) ....however, marketed towards children might be a compelling reason to use "kiddie".


#19073 02/25/01 12:25 AM
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At the bookstore, the children's section is referred to as "kiddie lit."


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