"own it for a limited time"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 2/26/06, Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> Disney only releases its classic movies on DVD for brief periods in
> order to boost demand, with _The Lady and the Tramp_ the latest to get
> this treatment. A commercial currently running for the DVD exhorts,
> "Own it for a limited time!"
>
> Has the verb "own" shifted while I wasn't looking, from 'possess' to 'acquire'?

Ah, never mind. I just caught the commercial again, and it turns out I
misheard it the first time. The line is "only for a limited time," not
"own it for a limited time." Sorry about that!


--Ben Zimmer

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