"quitter"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 12:18 PM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>
> I've been studying about the proverb "Only quitters quit."  In the process, I have realized that a
> specialized (non-pejorative) denotation of the noun "quitter" now occurs:  'one who has stopped--or
> is undertaking to stop--smoking (or, perhaps, using other harmful or addictive "substances")'.

I wonder if the amelioration of "quitter" also licenses the double
meaning in the title of the competitive weight-loss show "The Biggest
Loser."

--bgz


--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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