Bad words

[Joanne M. Despres]

I take your point, though it seems to me that the contrast between
German and Old English isn't quite as great as that between a dog
and a cat.  I'd guess the relationship between a Maine coon and a
tiger would be more comparable.  Now, if you were trying to
describe a Maine coon to an aboriginal Asian whose exposure to
the feline species was limited to tigers, it might not be so far out to
call a Maine coon a kind of tiger.  But I recognize that we're not
talking about aborigines here, and that it's always best to assume
that our tutees can handle the facts.

Joanne