Semantic drift: "khaki"

Scot LaFaive spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM
Sat Sep 15 17:28:07 UTC 2007


>What color is "khaki"?
 
I would say the same as the OED, but I can also say black khaki pants, meaning the pants, although black, are made of the "khaki" material that is usually the dull brownish yellow.
 
Scot
 
> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 08:34:06 -0700> From: wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> Subject: Semantic drift: "khaki"> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>> Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>> Subject: Semantic drift: "khaki"> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------> > Just what color do people understand nowadays by "khaki"? All my life I've subscribed to the def. of the OED: "dust-coloured; dull brownish yellow, drab," a kind of light to medium beige.> > Recently, though, I've noticed writers using "khaki" to designate the much darker brown, formerly used for U.S. Army uniforms (as in World War I) and usually designated "olive drab." Now I find Vietnam veteran Larry Heinemann (in _Black Virgin Mountain_) referring to the dark "olive-green" Army "service uniform" of the '60s as "khakis." Surely Heinemann knows better - or my memory is slipping.> > But anyway, without checking your dictionaries, what color is "khaki"?> > JL> > > ---------------------------------> Need a vacation? Get great deals to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.> > ------------------------------------------------------------> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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