From the ‘Are you planning to be buried?’ thread.
I hate the word cremains for several reasons, that I thought would be obvious to everybody, notwithstanding the evidence that the funeral industry seems to be comfortable with the word.
Poll forthcoming.
Sounds like a breakfast cereal.
It’s just a nasty-sounding, made-up word.
But since the “leftovers” from cremation are NOT true ashes, then cremains will have to do until something better comes along.
~VOW
(maybe we can use leftovers?)
Meh. I am only familiar with the term from the show Six Feet Under and don’t have a strong feeling about it.
I think there must have been a deliberate effort by crematoria to avoid the term “ashes” so that families wouldn’t be surprised to find bone fragments, etc.
It’s a word that should only be used ironically because it’s impossible to take it seriously. It’s funeral home industry jargon.
I find it mildly humorous.
meh, I don’t care and I fine with it, but it does “sounds like something you put in or gets left by coffee”.
I have never heard this word until now. It sounds a bit silly to me.
I don’t have a problem with portmanteau words like “cremains” or “smog”.
Isn’t that the crusty stuff that builds up around the threads of a milk jug?
My favorite is “biodegradable urn” which means “a glorified cardboard box that we’re going to try to sell to you for $200.” Fucking vultures.
Just because we’re bereaved doesn’t make us saps!
I like it because the only other obvious portmanteau coinage with CR– is “craisin” and now whenever I hear “cremains,” I think of “craisins,” and I like craisins.
They could have gone the “sun-dried tomato” route and called them “oven-dried ancestors” or something; that would have been less good.
I come from a family that says “dead” instead of “passed away”, so cremains is mildly irritating to me as an unneeded euphemism
It’s a useful word that serves a purpose. It is perhaps a bit distasteful, but then, so would any word for the same thing be.
I’ve never heard that word before I saw it in this thread’s title.
“Ashes” is a lovely old word with deep metaphoric roots.
“Cremains” is nasty, manufactured marketing speak.
Yes, this, exactly. So which option in the poll do I pick? It’s not because it’s funereally-related, it’s because it’s nasty, manufactured marketing speak.
I like Dr. Drake’s “oven-dried ancestors.” 
I hate “cremains.” For that matter, I hate “craisins.” They just seem too cutesy to me.
As an aside:
“The worst part of waking up/Is ashes in your cup.”
-My brother, shortly after announcing he wanted to be cremated.