handcrafted

[Jonathan Lighter]

This sounds normal to me:

"Handcrafted from the world's most luxurious materials."

This doesn't:

"Handcrafted by the world's top-flight designers."

...though I wouldn't say it was impossible.  But maybe "produced" would be a
better word than "manufactured."

JL

On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 12:41 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: handcrafted
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I would have thought design is the important concept, rather than
> manufacture.
> DanG
>
> On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 1:34 PM, Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: handcrafted
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > A word's meaning is what one is fully justified in believing when the
> word
> > is encountered.  In many cases all that is "fully justified" may  not be
> > entirely clear. In the case of adspeak "handcrafted," however, there is
> no
> > justification for the reader or hearer to assume that the product is made
> by
> > the direct action of the hands of actual craftspeople. Like "natural,"
> and
> > some other terms, "handcrafted" in current use is routinely used more for
> > its favorable connotations than for its informativeness.
> >
> > I'd say that - at most - the recent usage conveys a concern that the
> product
> > be regarded as of high quality and careful manufacture.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 10:48 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      Re: handcrafted
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Over the last five years, one sees "handcrafted" used to promote items
> >> like fragrances, soaps, and teas. I don't think Jonathan exaggerated
> >> the meaning of word in these contexts.
> >>
> >> DanG
> >>
> >> On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 12:27 PM,  <ronbutters at aol.com> wrote:
> >> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> > Poster:       ronbutters at AOL.COM
> >> > Subject:      Re: handcrafted
> >> >
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >
> >> > JL surely exaggerates re: what "handcrafted" means nowadays. Can't one
> >> just conclude that the ad he cites is misleading, given that
> "handcrafted"
> >> has to analyze as "crafted by hand" (as dictionaries suggest)?
> >> > ------Original Message------
> >> > From: Jonathan Lighter
> >> > Sender: ADS-L
> >> > To: ADS-L
> >> > ReplyTo: ADS-L
> >> > Subject: [ADS-L] handcrafted
> >> > Sent: Dec 27, 2010 11:58 AM
> >> >
> >> > OED ignores "handcrafted" in the mesmeric commercial sense of
> "carefully
> >> > made or prepared according to industrial standards."  Celestial
> >> Seasonings,
> >> > e.g., claims that its tea blends are "handcrafted."
> >> >
> >> > I suppose in the case of CS, it could mean that somewhere, at some
> time,
> >> a
> >> > "blendmaster" (sic) mixed a little of this and a little of that by
> hand
> >> till
> >> > he liked the taste.  Cool.  However, the usual connotation of
> >> "handcrafted"
> >> > is that the very product you're holding was made by hand or with the
> >> > personal attention of a living human to every detail.  Nowadays this
> is
> >> > rarely the case.
> >> >
> >> > By "nowadays," I mean since the introduction of "handcrafted" to
> describe
> >> > otherwise routinely manufactured items.
> >> >
> >> > JL
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> >> truth."
> >> >
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> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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> >
>
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