I hate the way it sounds, and I hate that it is almost always used by people who are currently engaged in (ugh) quibbling despite their protests of, “Not that I want to quibble BUT…” and who could benefit from a few punches to the face for being so goddamned pedantic.
Aside from those specific contexts, I’ll take any opportunity to say the word “vegetable.” It’s one of those lovely words where the physicality of saying it mimics the meaning. Only if you skip the second E, though. Vedgtable. Saying it feels like I’m chewing on something hearty and wholesome.
Don’t you see that that circumstance is precisely what makes the word so repugnant? When I order something that’s vegetarian–and I eat vegetarian food a lot–I don’t want to be forced to talk like Rachel Ray by using this hippy-dippy term, as though vegetarians have to resort to non-hegemonic vocabulary to index the “alternativeness” or the “non-traditional” healthiness of their food “choice.” Eating vegetables–even eating only vegetables–is a normal thing that humans have been doing for millenniums, and it doesn’t require some Ned Flanderism to call special attention to the act.
Alum is aluminum potassium sulfate, an astringent chemical used in pickles. An alumnus or alumna is a graduate from a school. Pickles are fruit if they have seeds in them. Pickled cauliflower is, however, a veggie. I remember when cookie was spelled cooky and I say it still should be.
Heehee. Not really, actually. I usually just call them “underwear” or “undies.” But I have to admit I always do chuckle when I’m writing a story and I refer to something about one of my characters’ “pants,” because I’ve been halfway conditioned to think of “pants” as “underwear.”
I wonder if any Brits have taken “knickers” a step further and started calling them “knickies”?
I am wearing panties RIGHT NOW! And I had some scrumpdiliumpshious veggeroos for din-din. During which I became mildly intoxicated. And they are Hello Kitty panties.
Which reminds me, I really hate the word “undies” applied to teens or older.
Which sounds right:
Bra and panties.
Bra and undies.
The first one sounds normal: panties only applies to teens or older, who may wear bras. “Underwear” is not specific enough, because it could include the bra.
The second just sounds horrible and makes me wonder why a 7 year old is wearing a bra.