Fw: Re: garbage vs. trash

[Frank Abate]

Americans, including me, certainly DO use the word "rubbish" in the 'trash'
sense.

Frank Abate

----- Original Message -----
From: "Natalie Maynor" <maynor at CS.MSSTATE.EDU>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: garbage vs. trash


> Lynne Murphy wrote:
>
> > > We might mention 'rubbish'. This suggests the stuff left over from a
> > > construction site. It's outdoor trash, and much of it would seem to be
> > > incombustible.
> >
> > Now, here our intuitions vary.  To me, rubbish would be paper waste or
> > rags, not construction waste.  And it would definitely be burnable.  But
> > maybe I've lived outside the US too long to have American 'rubbish'
> > intuitions.
>
> I can't remember ever having heard anybody in the USA use the word
> "rubbish" except figuratively.  Calling trash or garbage rubbish
> strikes me as very British.
>    --Natalie Maynor (maynor at ra.msstate.edu)
>