# Do words no longer have meaning in commercialland? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 22, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965 "2005-05-22T17:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/41 "2005-05-25T16:10:29Z")
“Hot” has been usurped by Paris Hilton and her ilk. Many things are now both hot and cool. The Hilton school of thermodynamic philosophy. Blue is a flavor, among berries. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/42 "2005-05-25T16:21:24Z")
As Jane Fonda said years ago, about the time she had a workout book coming out: “Crispy is now a taste.” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/43 "2005-05-25T16:36:39Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > As Jane Fonda said years ago, about the time she had a workout book coming out: “Crispy is now a taste.” For years now when I’ve asked someone how far away something is I inevitably get a unit of time as a response. I blame the media. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/44 "2005-05-25T19:30:47Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > For years now when I’ve asked someone how far away something is I inevitably get a unit of time as a response. > > I blame the media. Unless you’re firing artillery, it’s usually a more suitable answer to the question 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/45 "2005-05-26T08:30:12Z")
You guys need to move to the southwest. In sharp contrast to back east, even some of the fast food and national chains around here actually serve reasonably hot foods. If you go to a local place…shhh…fuggedaboutit. I will add though, that Taco Bell calling their hottest sauce “Fire” is nothing short of blashpemy. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/46 "2005-05-26T09:01:44Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > Unless you’re firing artillery, it’s usually a more suitable answer to the question 😉 Is it? Generally people give distance in units of time - of \*driving \* time. Now I realizes by doing this they’re just showing their patriotism, since no good American walks anywhere when they could drive. But I never said I was a good American. Often I’m asking how far away something is to find out is I _could_ walk there. (And I can’t ask “Could I walk there?” 'cause they’ll say on no it’s too far and then I’ll find out it’s 2 miles or something 😛 .) ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/47 "2005-05-26T12:18:15Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > Is it? Generally people give distance in units of time - of \*driving \* time. Now I realizes by doing this they’re just showing their patriotism, since no good American walks anywhere when they could drive. But I never said I was a good American. Often I’m asking how far away something is to find out is I _could_ walk there. (And I can’t ask “Could I walk there?” 'cause they’ll say on no it’s too far and then I’ll find out it’s 2 miles or something 😛 .) Yes, if I want to know how long it takes me to get somewhere, I’ll ask “how long does it take to get there?” not “how far is that?” ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/48 "2005-05-26T16:02:38Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > For years now when I’ve asked someone how far away something is I inevitably get a unit of time as a response. > > I blame the media. It has been true for whole lot of years. Back in the days of steam powered television, Jack Paar noticed that folks in California measure distance in time. He said he overheard his daughter saying that some place was a _Lawrence of Arabia_ away. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/49 "2005-05-26T16:09:04Z")
I saw an ad last night during the _Lost_ finale for boneless BBQ Chicken Wings using breast meat, and thought, “Those must be some damn funny-lookin’ chickens…” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/50 "2005-05-26T16:15:39Z")
I was just coming in here to say that chicken breasts are not wings. Stop calling breasts “chicken wings” is just. . . WORDS HAVE MEANINGS!!! Without them, there would be no civilization. This will be the downfall of the US-- not hot hot sauce, the flavor blue and breast wings. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/51 "2005-05-26T16:18:25Z")
See? Now I’ve become incoherent. > [@](#): > > Stop calling breasts “chicken wings” is just. . . Should read: Calling breasts “chicken wings” is just. . . STOP IT! ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/52 "2005-05-26T16:38:38Z")
But what if I soak my bra in Red Bull[sup]tm[/sup]? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/53 "2005-05-26T19:12:39Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > For years now when I’ve asked someone how far away something is I inevitably get a unit of time as a response. > > I blame the media. I don’t think it’s the media’s fault. I have used distance as time since I was a teen, and the media wasn’t nearly as pervasive (especially up here, with only 3 TV channels back then) as it is now. I think that one is pretty old. Probably because most people who are _from_ a place don’t pay very much attention to the distance, but know very well how long it takes to get there. And isn’t that what most people are interested in anyway? Don’t most people need to know how long it will take to get somewhere far more than they’d need to know the mileage in most cases? Would you rather hear “I have no idea, I’ve drive X to Y thousands of times, but never paid that much attention to the distance, sorry, bye”??? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/54 "2005-05-26T20:34:27Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > WORDS HAVE MEANINGS!!! Without them, there would be no civilization. This will be the downfall of the US-- not hot hot sauce, the flavor blue and breast wings. I’m so proud of this MB. Unless I missed something, we’re into the second page of this discussion of words that don’t mean what they once meant without somebody quoting _1984_ or _Alice In Wonderland._ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/55 "2005-05-26T20:44:18Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > “Blue” is too a flavor. It is a flavor not found in nature, but consistently found in many food products whose main ingredient is “high fructose corn syrup.” They’re also the color blue. > > It’s like “purple” which purports to be grape - but tastes like neither grapes nor grape juice, but “purple.” Pitch Black Mountain Dew has that flavor. It tastes like a “grape” freezer pop that hasn’t been in the freezer long enough. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/56 "2005-05-26T20:47:19Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > I don’t think it’s the media’s fault. I have used distance as time since I was a teen, and the media wasn’t nearly as pervasive (especially up here, with only 3 TV channels back then) as it is now. I was just joking about blaming the media. You know, because everyone does. Sorry. > [@](#): > > I think that one is pretty old. Probably because most people who are _from_ a place don’t pay very much attention to the distance, but know very well how long it takes to get there. > > And isn’t that what most people are interested in anyway? Don’t most people need to know how long it will take to get somewhere far more than they’d need to know the mileage in most cases? > > Would you rather hear “I have no idea, I’ve drive X to Y thousands of times, but never paid that much attention to the distance, sorry, bye”??? > > 🙂 The problem with this theory is that the time required to drive a distance changes over time. For example, it used to take about an hour to drive from Tampa to Disney World. But that’s before both cities populations grew and grew, and the population of all the areas in between mushroomed, and then sometime ago, the state began to widen I-4. Now it takes an indeteriminate amount of time, somewhere between 1 and 3 hours, depending on what construction they’re doing at that moment, who decides to wreck their car while gawking at the sites, whether or not it’s raining, etc. I’d say 1.75 hours is good, a little less if you drive dangerously fast. When we lived in Ohio things were a little more static, but around here it just doesn’t make sense. It can take me 20 minutes to get home from work or an hour. Just depends on the time of day and which lights I hit, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/57 "2005-05-26T23:46:21Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Yes, if I want to know how long it takes me to get somewhere, I’ll ask “how long does it take to get there?” not “how far is that?” The one that really burns me up is when I ask people “What is your address?” and they start giving me directions. **NO!** If I wanted directions, I would have asked for directions. All I want is your stupid address. I have the ADC maps for every county in which I work, and I absofuckinglutely guarantee you that I can get there faster and easier by looking at the map than by following what 80% of the populations thinks of as “good directions”. If I get lost I’ll call and you can guide me in, but this almost never happens. 'Well, you get off of 95 at one of the Columbia exits(Laurel, actually), then go about 3 miles (in reality 500 ft), make a left at the resturaunt where Jimmy ate that bug that one time(???), and go about 6 or 7 lights (try 3 stop signs) and make your first right ( no, the other right, you know, the one on the left) by the Church Of Christ (Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall). We’re the fifth house (past the third intersection) down on the left." \*\* JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN ADDRESS, OK???\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/58 "2005-05-27T00:33:34Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > The one that really burns me up is when I ask people “What is your address?” and they start giving me directions. > **NO!** > > If I wanted directions, I would have asked for directions. All I want is your stupid address. I have the ADC maps for every county in which I work, and I absofuckinglutely guarantee you that I can get there faster and easier by looking at the map than by following what 80% of the populations thinks of as “good directions”. If I get lost I’ll call and you can guide me in, but this almost never happens. > > 'Well, you get off of 95 at one of the Columbia exits(Laurel, actually), then go about 3 miles (in reality 500 ft), make a left at the resturaunt where Jimmy ate that bug that one time(???), and go about 6 or 7 lights (try 3 stop signs) and make your first right ( no, the other right, you know, the one on the left) by the Church Of Christ (Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall). We’re the fifth house (past the third intersection) down on the left." > \*\* > JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN ADDRESS, OK???\*\* Amen, brother. I delivered pizza in high school so I’m already better than average at finding a place just by its street address, and now with Mapquest, no one can touch those directions. Back in NC I would literally have people try to tell me, “It’s the 17th house past the oak tree.” Do you have any idea how many oak trees there are in central North Carolina? I hate when I ask for someone’s address and they start going off, “Ok, hop on the 101…” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/59 "2005-05-27T02:57:49Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Back in NC I would literally have people try to tell me, “It’s the 17th house past the oak tree.” Do you have any idea how many oak trees there are in central North Carolina? Not that oak tree, the one that got struck by lightning back in '86. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2005, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965/60 "2005-05-27T06:35:15Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > I have the ADC maps for every county in which I work, and I absofuckinglutely guarantee you that I can get there faster and easier by looking at the map than by following what 80% of the populations thinks of as “good directions”.\*\* Yeah, but sometimes that remaining 20% can kick your ass. One time I was helping a friend of mine move out of his place in Berkeley, CA. For some incredibly stupid reason, several neighborhoods have streets with permanent barricades across the intersections, sometimes straight across, sometimes diagonally, sometimes blocking one direction but not the other. Most maps only show the streets, but not the maze created by the barricades. The moving van’s battery was bad and we didn’t have any jumper cables, so we called AAA and attempted to tell the dispatcher specific directions to the address. She refused to take them, saying that the drivers had their own maps. So of course it took the guy 2 hours to find us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-words-no-longer-have-meaning-in-commercialland/304965.md?page=2)