Different Meanings for Words

[Thipu1]

Just thought of something else, one of the most popular selling cheddar cheeses in Australia is Coon cheese.

I'm finding this quite interesting. I have to say please please please do NOT use this term if visiting the US especially the south. It would be interpreted as very racist.

Actually, there would be no problem with the term among residents of the Northeastern United States. Coon cheese is a quite sharp cheddar.  It used to be sold under that name with a raccoon on the label.

[Melle]

Actually, there would be no problem with the term among residents of the Northeastern United States. Coon cheese is a quite sharp cheddar.  It used to be sold under that name with a raccoon on the label.

Sounds tasty!

Also, raccoon is exactly what I thought was meant with the abbreviation. Had to look it up in a dictionary for the derogatory use.

[baglady]

I'm in the Northeast and would definitely do a double take at "Coon cheese." The racial slur is not unheard of up here. While it is an acceptable shortening of raccoon, the only time it doesn't make me uneasy is in the word "coonhound," because it's a legitimate name for certain dogs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonhound

It's on my "don't use, better safe than sorry" list of words that have inoffensive meanings but also have offensive uses, like gay for happy and ret*rd (the verb) for slow or delay.

[katycoo]

I'm in the Northeast and would definitely do a double take at "Coon cheese." The racial slur is not unheard of up here. While it is an acceptable shortening of raccoon, the only time it doesn't make me uneasy is in the word "coonhound," because it's a legitimate name for certain dogs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonhound

It's on my "don't use, better safe than sorry" list of words that have inoffensive meanings but also have offensive uses, like gay for happy and ret*rd (the verb) for slow or delay.

So in that case, are you ok with the Australian brand as it is a persons surname?

[baglady]

I'm in the Northeast and would definitely do a double take at "Coon cheese." The racial slur is not unheard of up here. While it is an acceptable shortening of raccoon, the only time it doesn't make me uneasy is in the word "coonhound," because it's a legitimate name for certain dogs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonhound

It's on my "don't use, better safe than sorry" list of words that have inoffensive meanings but also have offensive uses, like gay for happy and ret*rd (the verb) for slow or delay.

So in that case, are you ok with the Australian brand as it is a persons surname?

Absolutely. In Australia I wouldn't think twice about it. In the states, though, I would probably tiptoe/disclaimer around the brand name:

Guest: "This cheese is awesome! I must buy some! Where'd you get it?"
Me: "It's Australian. I got it at Happy Harry's Imported Cheese Emporium. The brand name is Coon Cheese ... yes, I know that sounds awful, but it's a family company and that's their name!"

[bigozzy]

I'm in the Northeast and would definitely do a double take at "Coon cheese." The racial slur is not unheard of up here. While it is an acceptable shortening of raccoon, the only time it doesn't make me uneasy is in the word "coonhound," because it's a legitimate name for certain dogs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonhound

It's on my "don't use, better safe than sorry" list of words that have inoffensive meanings but also have offensive uses, like gay for happy and ret*rd (the verb) for slow or delay.

So in that case, are you ok with the Australian brand as it is a persons surname?

Absolutely. In Australia I wouldn't think twice about it. In the states, though, I would probably tiptoe/disclaimer around the brand name:

Guest: "This cheese is awesome! I must buy some! Where'd you get it?"
Me: "It's Australian. I got it at Happy Harry's Imported Cheese Emporium. The brand name is Coon Cheese ... yes, I know that sounds awful, but it's a family company and that's their name!"

It is a tricky cultural conundrum. When I first lived in the Far East in 1981 the most popular toothpaste was called 'Darkie' toothpaste and featured a very racist stereotyped image of a 'Minstrel' from the the early years of cinema.

Eventually, after many years, the brand changed to 'Dakkie' and the image was removed,

[iridaceae]

OK, here's one that may be a generational thing. My grandmother used to talk about her 'potplants'.  No, not marijuana -- African violets!  Has anyone else heard this as a synonym for houseplants?

I've read British Harlequins where the authors talks about the heroine's or whoever's pot plants and I did do a double take the first time.

[Bethczar]

OK, here's one that may be a generational thing. My grandmother used to talk about her 'potplants'.  No, not marijuana -- African violets!  Has anyone else heard this as a synonym for houseplants?

I've read British Harlequins where the authors talks about the heroine's or whoever's pot plants and I did do a double take the first time.

Me too. It's shocking how many (non-Scrabble related) things I've learned from romance novels.

[MummyPumpkin83]

I was just reading another thread about a "White Elephant" gift exchange

I gather this is a type of "game" where you exchange gifts?

Here is Australia I have heard "White Elephant" used as a descriptor for a rumage sale, where the "White Elephant" means rare / rarely used.

We could also use it to describe something that is rarely used, eg: my dad said that he hoped the stadium built for the Sydney Olympics didn't become a white elephant.

[Dazi]

I was just reading another thread about a "White Elephant" gift exchange

I gather this is a type of "game" where you exchange gifts?

Here is Australia I have heard "White Elephant" used as a descriptor for a rumage sale, where the "White Elephant" means rare / rarely used.

We could also use it to describe something that is rarely used, eg: my dad said that he hoped the stadium built for the Sydney Olympics didn't become a white elephant.

I would describe it as a gag gift.  It is usually the most useless, ridiculous item you can find. 

The way it is normally played in my circle:

Everyone brings wrapped gift
everyone draws a number, this is the order you go in
first person randomly picks gift, unwraps and shows gift (the heckling may begin)

second person unwraps gift, they can keep it or swap it for the first person's gift
third person and beyond-- unwraps gift, can keep or swap with anyone who has gone before them

[baglady]

White elephant is one of many different names for the gift exchange game where people get to swap or steal what others have opened. I've also heard it called a Dirty Santa or Yankee Swap (derived from the hard-core frugality associated with old New Englanders).

I've always thought of a white elephant as something useless or superfluous, the way MP's dad uses it to refer to the stadium. I've also heard the term "white elephant sale" (the implication being that people are selling their useless/superfluous-to-them stuff), but it's been at least 40 years. These days everyone I know calls them rummage, garage, yard or tag sales. (IME, churches/institutions have rummage or tag sales; families have yard or garage sales.)

Speaking of which, what other names do (general) you call Secret Santa exchanges, where people draw names and give gifts anonymously to the person they picked? Over the years I've heard them called Christmas angel, Kristkindl (German speakers, please forgive my spelling), Kriss Kringle and -- this one really made me go "huh?" -- Pollyanna.

[katycoo]

I would generally asssociate "White elephant" with junky items.

Applies to both gift exchange and rummage sale.

[Thipu1]

Agreed.  A Wnite Elephant gift should be a bit weird but it shouldn't be mean.

A nice scarf or a moderately priced bottle of wine is not a White Elephant gift.  A mini lava lamp or an esoteric calendar is appropriate for the game.  The gift can be used and/or enjoyed but isn't quite in the loop of traditional gifts. 

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

Re: the Pollyanna exchanges

In the book, Pollyanna is always saying, "[this] isn't great, but at least it's not [that]!" So for the white elephant exchanges, you might hate jelly and unwrap one of those little gift sets and think "Well, jelly isn't great, but at least it's not that lifesize, realistic tarantula replica that Uncle Joe's holding!"

[Nibsey]

Ugh just spent the last 10 mins trying to search whether flapjacks were a healthy snack and kept getting, 'of course not' and 'depends what you put on it'. Which was a bit surprising because surely oats and honey can't be that bad. 

Until I copped that in the States this is a flapjack


While I was looking for these


So question! What's the difference between pancakes and flapjacks in the States?