creature vs. critter

[James C Stalker]

Creatures and critters, whatever the OED says, are not the same now.
Critters are small, generally harmless, even cuddly, animals, although they
may be pests.  Creatures come from outer space and aren't friendly, for the
most part.  They are also generic and include us humans and critters, as
well as BEMs.  An (ante)dating?

From: Haliburton, Thomas C.   Traits of American Humor.  London, 188?.
. . .the following table of words incorrectly pronounced. . . (p. vii)
Available in the Library of Congress.

critter                 creature

varmint (W)             vermin

(W)=west, i.e.,east of the Mississipi, west of the Appalachians

The mispronunciations (on the left) were American (according to Mr.
Haliburton); the correct pronunciations on the right were British (English,
mayhap?).

I admit I'm being lazy and haven't checked the OED.  If the OED included
both, without distinction, it would suggest to me that they were acceptable
or recognized dialect variants.  The semantic distinction came later, either
in England or America.

Jim

Jonathan Lighter writes:

> Spot for series _Paleoworld_ on the Discovery Science Channel moments ago :
>
> "Discover all there is to know about our prehistoric creatures and critters - on _Paleoworld_!"
>
> OED doesn't quite explain this distinction.  I presume that "critters" are cuter or at least smaller than "creatures."
>
> The precise meaning of "our" in the sentence may be of interest, but I'll let it go.
>
> JL
>
>
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James C. Stalker
Department of English
Michigan State University