Useta be the general state of affairs was, when people wanted to refer to the whole nine yards, they generally used the word ‘general’. (I think there were then “generic names” of drugs, and maybe a few other sorta generic things, but the term ‘generic’ wasn’t generally used too much, generically speaking.)
But now, everyone, from privates to generals, generically speaks of generally everything as specifically “generic”, according to my general recollection.
Is this state of affairs a general improvement. . .or just a generic shift in the use of suffixes?
Generations of generals have generally relied upon “general” to refer to everything in a catagory or class. Granted, that’s a generalization.
The genesis of “generic” is descriptive of an entire clas or group.
Genetically they’re genitive of genus.
Well, I’m no genus, so you’ll have to explain to me whether trolls are a generic nuisance or they just generate problems once in a while. (I think it’s only a problem when they get too big for their bridges.)
Well, anyhow, I don’t think ‘generic’ should generally substitute for ‘general’, and those who use it that way are inhuman and generically sui generis.
