Shrimp(s) and prawns

[Wilson Gray]

There is (was?) a Chinese restaurant in Monterey, CA, that features
(featured?) various prawn dishes on its menu, as well as shrimp
dishes. These prawns were basically a kind of gigantic shrimp, less
circular in shape. Other than in literature, this has been my only
experience with anything that was said to be a "prawn."

-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Mark Twain



On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 8:20 PM, Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net> wrote:
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> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: Shrimp(s) and prawns
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On the east coast of the US they are all "shrimp", regardless of size. Â As
> far as I know, the word "prawn" is unknown.
>
> In California, and maybe the rest of the west coast, small, salad-size
> shrimp are "shrimp", larger varieties, such as might go on the barbie or
> into a cocktail are "prawns. Altho during my years there I never heard of a
> "prawn cocktail"
>
> Bill Palmer
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 8:11 PM
> Subject: Re: Shrimp(s) and prawns
>
>
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>> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster: Â  Â  Â  "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: Shrimp(s) and prawns
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> At 3/10/2009 08:05 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>>>I seem to remember a time when the plural of "shrimp" was *shrimp*,
>>>like unto "sheep, sheep." But maybe it was just a BE thing. Or maybe
>>>the problem is with my memory. I won't bet money on this.
>>
>> When you meet them at the dinner table, they're shrimp.* Â But when
>> you meet them on the school playground, they're shrimps.
>>
>> Joel
>>
>> * If shrimp are fish, then the plural is "shrimp". Â Unless you're
>> mixing shrimp and prawns, when they become two kinds of fishes.
>>
>> :-)
>>
>> Joel
>>
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