George Orwell, Big Brother and reality TV
AT THE end of last year, Alastair Beaven asked if readers had examples of people using words in a novel sense without knowing their original meaning 鈥� and he wondered if this phenomenon has a name (25 December). He gave the example of an interpreter in Afghanistan who knew about viruses in computers, but not about biological viruses.
Mike Meakin responds by telling us that in the hospital where he works, several young colleagues only know of 鈥淏ig Brother鈥� through the reality TV show. They have no knowledge of George Orwell or 1984.
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Anetta Pirinen, on the other hand, says she knew something significant had happened in her mind the day the word 鈥淗omer鈥� stopped being a Greek poet and took on the meaning of a cartoon character.
John LaFreniere asks how it is possible to 鈥渄ial鈥� a number on a cellphone.
Abby Stancliffe-Vaughan says that her infant daughter once announced with joy that she would be able to call the rest of the family from her bedroom. No one understood what she meant until they realised she was responding to an earlier conversation about putting a 鈥渕obile鈥� 鈥� meaning a hanging decoration, as opposed to a cellphone 鈥� in her room.
What about a name for this phenomenon? It doesn鈥檛 seem to have one, though there is a name, 鈥渞etronym鈥�, for the original meaning of a word. 鈥淏iological viruses鈥� in the first paragraph of this story is a retronym.
Readers sent us several suggestions. We particularly liked 鈥渧ironym鈥�, proposed in honour of Alastair鈥檚 tale by 鈥淐hainsaw鈥� on the US National Puzzlers League mailing list, after Feedback reader Dick Plotz had appealed for suggestions there.
Then there was Andrew Ross, who suggests 鈥渦ragnosia鈥� 鈥� pronounced, he says, 鈥測ou-rag-nose ear鈥�. This derives from the prefix 鈥渦r鈥� (denoting origin) and the noun 鈥渁gnosia鈥� (more familiar in its adjectival 鈥渁gnostic鈥� form), so it means ignorance as to origin.
We also liked the suggestion of a friend with a penchant for neologisms. He notes that the new uses of these words have 鈥渟plit off鈥� from the original meaning and taken on an identity of their own. He proposes 鈥渕eionym鈥�, in honour of the division of a cell into distinct gametes, or 鈥渕eiosis鈥�.
鈥淏art Holland sends us a tag that came with a purse he bought at the stationery store Paperchase. It says: 鈥淲ARNING. Choking hazard 鈥� not suitable for children under 36 years鈥�
FROM The Biomedical 杏吧原创 comes, via James Jefferies, the welcome news that Elf McGnome was admitted in October 2010 as a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science. 鈥淗e鈥檚 actually for real,鈥� Jefferies assures us.
Were we to be called that, we would probably have sued our parents by now. But, looking around the internet, for example at , we find that a change of name by deed poll was involved and the former Greg Smythe voluntarily took on this charming moniker.
WHEN Adrian Smith updated his McAfee anti-virus subscription, a notice flashed up. Topped by a warning in red saying 鈥淎pplication Wants to Access the Internet鈥�, it said: 鈥淭he program McAfee Trusted Advisor Framework Exe is requesting access to the internet鈥� McAfee does not recognise this application.鈥�
Having alerted Adrian against itself, McAfee went on to offer him the choice of accepting or blocking access to McAfee.
WHEN Christopher Bridgman鈥檚 wife ordered some Christmas items online, she must have failed to specify one of the fields in the address 鈥� the package was addressed to 鈥淯ndefined Margaret Bridgman鈥�.
鈥淚 always knew there was something special about her,鈥� says Christopher.
VAGUELY worried, Karen Ashworth notes that the Philips 鈥淐ar Control鈥� hairdryer she just purchased claims it will leave her hair 鈥渕oisture rich鈥�. 鈥淪urely,鈥� she ponders, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 the opposite of what I鈥檓 normally trying to achieve when I use a hairdryer?鈥�
Checking the claim, we find the online shop at which states that this dryer offers 鈥渋onic conditioning鈥�. We are now much more worried.
Papaya and passion-fruit down on the farm
THE rural west of England is thought of as featuring quintessentially English countryside, so much so that the long-running BBC radio soap opera about country life, The Archers, is set there. This being so, we share Matthew Daggitt鈥檚 surprise at discovering that a yogurt from UK supermarket Sainsbury鈥檚 describes itself as 鈥淢ango, Papaya and Passion-fruit West Country Yoghurt鈥�.
Global warming must be a lot more advanced down there than previously thought.
FINALLY, under the subject line 鈥淲hat your spellchecker won鈥檛 spot鈥�, Ian Stewart sends us this quote from BBC Good Food magazine: 鈥淔inally, another selling point is that much British shellfish is sustainably farmed, or responsibly harvested from healthy stocks. Check the Marine Conversation Society鈥檚 list of safe fish to eat at .鈥�
Ian imagines what a marine conversation might sound like: 鈥淏lub. Blub. Blub-blub. Blub鈥︹��