urchin

Tom Zurinskas truespel at HOTMAIL.COM
Wed Jul 15 21:47:12 UTC 2009


Urchin?  Nautical theme?  I like the term urchin better than nudabrank.


Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL5+
see truespel.com



>> Maybe they chose "urchin" to go along with the nautical theme on the
>> ferry? (Personally, I like it.)
>>
>> ---Amy West
>>
>>>Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:04:29 -0500
>>>From: Clai Rice
>>>Subject: urchin
>>>
>>>This evening I purchased a few ferry tickets from Vancouver
>>>Island to Mayne Island, B.C. The tickets were identical,
>>>though the child tickets were half fare. The tickets were
>>>labeled both "Adult" and "Urchin", with the former term
>>>above the latter but both in the same size font. Considering
>>>the function of the tickets, and the positioning of the
>>>words, we figured that the word "urchin" meant "child." Is
>>>this a standard Canadianism? The other option is that they
>>>label the tickets each day with an unusual word as a
>>>counterfeit prevention, which wouldn't be nearly as much
>>>fun. To my surprise, the ticket collector insisted on
>>>taking the entire ticket, so I couldn't keep a copy. But now
>>>I'm thinking of going back to Victoria later in the week, so
>>>I'll be able to check the tickets and ask the agents if
>>>they think urchin means child.
>>>
>>>Not that my children aren't urchins.
>>>
>>>Clai Rice
>>
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>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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