authentic seed overload

[Brenda Lester]

ultimate amen! uh, sorry.

Scot LaFaive <scotlafaive at GMAIL.COM> wrote:  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Scot LaFaive
Subject: Re: authentic seed overload
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition to meaning "New and Improved," it seems that "Extreme" is also
being used to suggest that this new and improved version is also somehow so
explosive and mind-bending that your senses will reel. I've seen many good
parodies of this advertising tool, such as extreme quilting. I'm a little
tired of extreme everything. Extreme toothpaste just might kill me.

Scot

On Wed, Feb 13, 2008 at 4:36 PM, Brenda Lester
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Brenda Lester
> Subject: Re: authentic seed overload
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> EXTREME has replaced NEW AND IMPROVED.
>
> the toothpaste phrase is moronic as well as oxymoronic.
>
> bl
>
>
>
> Matthew Gordon wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Matthew Gordon
> Subject: Re: authentic seed overload
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This example reminds me of a recent toothpaste encounter. I had
> inadvertently bought a tube of Crest whose flavor was "extreme herbal
> mint."
> This label struck me as a phrase that is both redundant and oxymoronic b/c
> of the semantics of 'herbal.' Mint is an herb so 'herbal mint' is
> redundant.
> But, herbal also has connotations, for me at least, of being natural,
> soothing etc. (e.g. herbal tea) and so it's odd to have an 'extreme
> herbal'
> anything (well, maybe not anything....).
>
>
> On 2/13/08 9:56 AM, "Jonathan Lighter" wrote:
>
> > In our kitchen this morning I discovered a package of hors-d'oeuvre type
> > crackers whose label boasted "Authentic Seed Overload."
> >
> > After remonstrating with my wife for bringing such an evidently unstable
> and
> > hazardous product into our home, I discovered - to my chagrin - that the
> > phrase was equivalent to what used to be called "Real Sesame Seed
> Topping!"
> >
> > Surely this is a novel, and misleading, use of "overload."
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it
> now.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



---------------------------------
Looking for last minute shopping deals?  Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org