[mea] "Ban 'couch potato' from dictionary, spud farmers demand"
- From: "Cheri Frazer" <cfrazer@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:30:58 -0000
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/20/spud-protest0506.html
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Ban 'couch potato' from dictionary, spud farmers demand
Last Updated Mon, 20 Jun 2005 12:12:49 EDT
CBC News
British spud farmers protested outside Parliament Monday to demand that the
term "couch potato" be taken out of the Oxford English Dictionary, saying the
description is harmful to the vegetable's image.
A group of about 30 farmers carried signs reading "couch potato out" and "ban
the term couch potato."
The farmers have the backing of the British Potato Council, which wants the
expression replaced with the term "couch slouch."
"The potato industry are fed up with the disservice that 'couch potato' does
to our product when we have an inherently healthy product," said Kathryn
Race, head of marketing at the council, which represents 4,000 growers and
processors.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term "couch potato" as "a person
who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching
television or video tapes."
Race said the council had written a complaint to the Oxford English
Dictionary.
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said words are
never taken out of the full-length dictionary.
"The OED is a record of the English language from the earliest days," Simpson
said. "If something's in there, it remains as part of the patchwork of the
English language."
He said the inclusion of an expression is based on the currency of the term.
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