# Meaningless Advertising Words

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 17, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265 "2018-06-17T16:37:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/81 "2018-08-09T19:17:40Z")

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> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> Save up to 15% or more! So really any number at all.
> 
> Makes your teeth up to four shades whiter! What the hell kind of unit of measurement is a “shade”?

“Up to” clearly includes the number “naught.” As in “Use our product and sleep with **up to** as many women as you want.”

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**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/82 "2018-08-15T14:31:37Z")

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The best example I can give is from a dramatization of Dorothy L. Sayers novel “Murder Must Advertise.” Lord Peter Wimsey, undercover as a copywriter in an advertising agency, is trying to explain the differences in the words of, from and with when used in an advertisement. The scene is amusing and always tickles my funny bone. The inclusion of the not-very-well-known word perry(cider made from pears) only adds to the humor.

I don’t know how to link, so I’m hoping someone familiar with this will do me the very great favor of posting it, either from the book itself or the video which is available on YouTube. TIA.

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**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/83 "2018-08-15T19:24:02Z")

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> [@Asuka](#):
>
> “Kid Tested, Mother Approved”
> 
> Who exactly was conducting these studies?

[xkcd](https://xkcd.com/1470/) suggests that it could have been worse.

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**Author:** ![jrbor76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jrbor76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrbor76)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-advertising-words/816265/84 "2018-08-18T20:02:06Z")

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One I mentioned in another thread some time back:

“We don’t have competition, because we _are_ the competition!”

…So, just a lot of employee in-fighting, I guess?

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